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BAS Poetry: A Long Pause in a Small Town

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Broke-Ass Stuart is now accepting poetry submissions to be featured in the BAS Poetry: Arts & Culture column. Written & curated by Corinne Avganim.

Photo: 12 O'Clock Boys via Vice

Photo: 12 O’Clock Boys via Vice.com

It is HOT in San Francisco, which I’ve decided means I am on a visceral vacation. Sitting in the heat, drinking a cold one, and reading pretty words about small towns and warm nights has really sealed the feel. Try it, you’ll like it.

A LONG PAUSE IN A SMALL TOWN
By Robert Jeffrey
Dunedin, Florida

This town feels
empty at night.
I wander the streets
and see
drunks walk home
from bars
and tired faces
frown
in the darkness.

Two kids
on dirt bikes
cruise past me
in front of
a gas station.
They swear
at each other,
spit,
and keep riding.

I know she’s
out there:
some pouty faced
beauty
just looking
for love.

I stare out
at the street,
slowly sipping
my iced coffee.

Snap! Keep up on Robert on his blog, and stay tuned here for more new work from the BAS community. Until then, you can follow us via @brokeassstuart and the hashtag #poetryisvoice.

To submit a poem, email poetry@brokeassstuart.com with your 100% original piece of work, full name, age, city, links to social media, and (optional) biographical blurb.

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Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Broke-Ass Stuart - Editor In Cheap

Stuart Schuffman, aka Broke-Ass Stuart, is a travel writer, poet, TV host, activist, and general shit-stirrer. His website BrokeAssStuart.com is one of the most influential arts & culture sites in the San Francisco Bay Area and his freelance writing has been featured in Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, The Bold Italic, Geek.com and too many other outlets to remember. His weekly column, Broke-Ass City, appears every other Thursday in the San Francisco Examiner. Stuart’s writing has been translated into four languages. In 2011 Stuart created and hosted the travel show Young, Broke, and Beautiful on IFC and in 2015 he ran for Mayor of San Francisco and got nearly 20k votes.

He's been called "an Underground legend": SF Chronicle, "an SF cult hero":SF Bay Guardian, and "the chief of cheap": Time Out New York.