The old North Star bar was a true legend. It stood on 27th and Poplar. It was far enough away from Center City to be off the beaten path. They had the main bar on the first floor and a room upstairs to host poetry readings. They had readings every Tuesday and it became a place to go for poets. Gregory Corso and Richard Hell did readings there (although they got to perform on the main stage).
A fun place to jam
pints of Guinness flow freely
poets offer hope
I used to do the readings and order a few beers. I always needed to walk back to Suburban Station after the readings. This usually entailed a quiet but drunken walk back. I needed to cross the Parkway to get back to the train station. I was often running for my life crossing the multi lane thoroughfare. It was always scary. Some people wonder how I’ve managed to keep myself alive through all the madness. Somehow, I have. And now with the North Star Bar gone, I can occasionally walk by and feel a lump in my throat—and in my soul—looking at the empty space.
A piece of my youth
sadly vanquished by evils
gentrification
https://www.postpoems.org/authors/georgeschaefer/prose/1106307
bathroomgraffiti 