PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

The old North Star bar was a true legend.  It stood on 27^th 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