At the gas station
a man in wraparound shades
was talking too loud
about how the country had gone soft.
He needed help
working the pump.
I looked away.
Mercy takes...
By closing time
the pretty ones looked tired too.
That helped.
The bartender wiped down the counter
like he was erasing a crime.
A man I used to sleep...
The couple at the next table
arguing about politics.
The guy at the bar
telling a story like he’s Hemingway reborn.
The TV spitting out bad news
no one...
no I don’t wanna
go for a walk
you fuck
you want me to walk
around this park
and enjoy what?
these fucking trees?
and people picking up dogshit
and their screaming,...
it's 11 o'clock
at night &
i'm striking the bong
standing at my window, staring
at the lights,
pondering the universe
& the past
i can't explain much
about what has happened
or...
it’s 75 degrees
the first real nice day
since winter
I’m staring at a patch of grass
with a confused look on my face
like I should be
doing something...
In a park
near my home
some big fucker
who didn’t like
my face
took a swing at me.
I blocked
his right hand
with my left
& by chance
my Tiparillo cigar
smashed into...
