A man walks into a bar

a man walks into a bar but he looks like a little boy
except for his eyes that wrinkle around the edges 
(this is the start of a joke)
a man walks into a bar looking like a little boy
but the bartender decides to cut him some slack.
after all, he passed the initial inspection;
and he looks like he could use a drink.
his timid stance, nervous stare and jittery legs make him look out of place
that could supposedly come from carrying a fake id
or from being in the sight of too many people.
that man of course, is you.
and you are not a little boy.
but it's an easy mistake to make; 
the way you always sleep in a foetal position
or the way you feel too much 
but can never put them in words.
a curious case; but not an unsolvable one.
until your eyes speak up and apart from the rest of you
they say how you almost obsessively take the longest of walks
or the way you are unfazed in thunderstorms
and it's the quiet you that makes you flinch.
you are a monolith of contradictions,
but you could use a drink.
so you are offered a drink.
which you unceremoniously almost immediately spit out from your mouth. So childish 
inside your hand there is a punchline
inside the other, there is a keepsake
dug out from the bottom of a well
from what appears to be buttons.
When you are rushed to the hospital
the sound of sirens lull you to sleep.

This is one of the top entries for Khero Khata, Star Books and Literature's monthly writing contest. 

Faiza Ramim is a final year student of BBA at the University of Dhaka. She likes to watch sad films and write sad poems.