Tattered and Torn

Tattered and Torn

F*ck it she says,
with every puff
On her cheap clay pipe.
Her elbow on the end of the bar,
Feet in the peanut shells and spit --
Flaunting torn apron in the face of the world.
You don't like it, Jack?
Tough sh*t.
When you reach a certain age,
You just let go,
Worn down by life, but defiant all the same.

This image is the painting, "Tattered and Torn" by Alfred Kappes. Painted in 1886 by a painter who was known in his lifetime for sensitive portrayals of people in the black community.