There was a time when almost every town had a pool hall. I haven’t seen one in several years. Truth is I never hung out much at the pool hall, but there was comfort in knowing our little burg had one.
If you never experienced a pool hall, they were poorly lit and smokey. A lot of people stood around and did nothing. That’s what I did best and still do. There were hustlers that would take your money if you thought you were good. And, if you were short on curse words, you could usually pickup a couple of new ones.
Pool halls were thought of as bad places. Because of all the smoking, gambling and cursing I guess. But they did hold a certain mystic. They were the place to go and pretend to be tough. If you really wanted to try your luck at being tough, someone would oblige you with a pool cue.
I talked to an old friend today and we got off on the subject of pool halls. It occurred to me that you just don’t see them much anymore. Another part of Americana gone by the wayside. I don’t know, but maybe there’s an app for pool on smart phones.
I don’t have a smart phone. And, I was never good at pool.
PMO
©2011
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