NEEDLING

The wine salesman
he comes in at ten till nine
all the sudden I get a rush of people
coming in
some dude breaks a bottle of wine
and starts picking the pieces up
bare hand
though I tell him over and over again

“it’s all right, man, don’t worry about it, I’m telling you
it’s no big deal... I’ll do it, man, really...”
“Oh Shit... Shit, man, I’m so sorry... dude!
Dude, it’s a forty dollar bottle of wine...
shit man... le'me clean-it up fur ya...”
“Dude, really, don’t worry about it, I’m telling ya...”

And he’s bending over stressing me out
picking broken pieces a glass
and there’s a line of people lining up before I gotta close
and throw them out
and there’s the salesman trying to explain
his wines to me
the ones he wants me to buy from him
and then the salesman
he offers to help sweep up
cause the guy won’t stop bending over picking up
broken glass

“man, it’s a liquor store
we got thousands of bottles in here
it happens, it ain’t no big deal”

then he tries to give me money for the broken bottle
and I refuse his money
I tell him dude just take your whiskey
and don’t you worry none about the spilt wine
and the shards of glass
spread about the floor

Now the salesman is also mopping up for me

"don't worry, I'm used to it
working in the restaurant biz long enough...
the last thing you want
is the customer with some glass sticking out
of his hands
bleeding silly in your store
they don't get it
that's all
been there done that, man"

"Thanks, man
you don't have to do all that
I'll clean up
I was debating wether to mop or not
anyway
the floors look like crap"

"I'm used to it"

while I take care of another customer
all along I’m sneaking looks at the clock counting the minutes
making sure I don’t make a sale past the nine o’clock
deadline

ONE TILL NINE

the last customer walks out
I follow him and lock the front door
putting the CLOSE sign facing the street

The salesman says meet me
later after you close
and we’ll taste some of these wines then

OKAY
I say

Later I end up in this restaurant closing
drinking tasting wine
with said salesman
and the chef
drunk as a nut
telling me his views
which I liked and appreciated
about said wines
the salesman bought me some food
and the chef loved the wine
I didn’t particularly care for
though he was right
with food
the pairing that is
it was more complex and exploded of wild game and galleys of sweat
with a slight first bite of cucumber or possibly green acidic pepper

There’s a lot of pepper on the finish
I said
I don’t know if it comes from the food
or from the wine

Red Curry Pepper, said the chef

It’s the wine as well, said the wine salesman

By itself the wine was no fun
and sour
but with the food it grew and opened
an earthy sweaty game
walking through a vegetable garden

CHILIAN wines

I preferred the Syrah, simple
dry

I’m a simple guy.