Meat

Today, with the addition of CITYPARK in the downtown west section of St. Louis, which houses our new Major League Soccer club, St. Louis CITY SC, the northwest corner of Union Station is occupied by a wonderful eating and drinking establishment known as The Pitch Athletic Club & Tavern.  I’ve been there a few times in its short history.  It’s a wonderful addition to downtown St. Louis.  Everything’s perfect.  Each time I step inside I imagine what it might be like stepping into a European soccer pub.

However, it wasn’t always such a perfect place.  Roughly 20 years ago, in the early 2000s, that corner spot of Union Station’s real estate housed a 70s-themed dance club by the name of the Have a Nice Day Café.  I’m a fan of 70s tunes.  So I decided to check it out with a few friends of mine.  I thought it might make for a fun place to spend a relaxing Saturday evening.  I was wrong. Have a Nice Day Café was a complete meat market.  The 20-somethings on the dance floor couldn’t keep their sweaty hands off one another.  Instead of 70s tunes, a techno dance beat pulsated relentlessly through the speakers.  It sucked ass.  It was my one and only visit.  I thought of writing a little poem about it many years ago but never did.  All these years later, I finally finished that poem. 😊

Meat

Inspired by Have a Nice Day Café’s Meat Market

It seemed like a fun evening
To be spent on the dance floor,
But I did not envision
The debauchery in store.

The atmosphere was playful
With its cute 70s vibe.
That bright, shiny exterior
Concealed the truth inside.

The music there to greet us
Was not disco, funk, or soul.
A techno beat boomed loudly,
Pulsing quite out of control.

While squirming on the dance floor
Was a writhing, sweaty mob.
Warm bodies fully intertwined
In an amorphous blob.

Hands groping over bare skin
And eyes glaring at each curve,
Displaying wanton lustfulness,
They hailed each carnal urge.

I wanted no part of it.
The meat market on display
Quite nearly turned my stomach,
So I had to look away.

I then stood at a distance
As I watched the night unfold.
I won’t join such vulgarity.
I’ve simply grown too old.

The revelers kept pawing
As they moved across the floor.
Unhappily, I sighed and shrugged,
Then I walked out the door.