past tense

your neighborhood, 
her backyard,
our corner dives -
we would meet
to toast each win,
every loss.
hand ourselves over
with any fresh excuse
for another round
of jerking glasses.
spilling the cheap excess
on gum sticky floors, 
onto our splintering shoes,
worn out from long commutes, 
between two job, three job, no job,
girlfriend, boyfriend, one night stand.
always breaking news to hear, 
a drunk number to dial. 
it was the first scratchings of love, 
dressed up in bad habits and 
gossip but ours, enough.