he walked out of the Out-Patient door
at the rear of the Miami VA Hospital into the brilliant sun and azure and saw an
old man down by the chainlink fence at the edge of the parking lot scourging
cigarette butts off the hot tarmac parking lot and out of the sand at its edge
he watched him then stoop to a
knee tear the paper filters off if necessary and dump the tobacco onto a page he
ripped from a phonebook chained to a pay telephone booth
he pinched the tobacco into a Zig-zag paper and rolled his own
he lit it and taking a deep pull he grimaced
it couldnt taste good
he said Fuck it out loud to no
one in particular rather to himself a cane
across his gawddamn flank and walked across
the street to a convenient store and bought a pack of Camels a pint of whisky
he approached the withered old
man Pardon me he said
Wha the old man said as he backed
away I aint bothering you
No Im botherin you
he flipped the pack of Camels to
him
he was spry enough yet to capture
it against his chest
he flipped him a matchbook
the old man now into the game snatched
it out of the air
then walking forward the old man
not retreating he twisted the whisky cap snapping the flimsy cellophane seal and said Care for a drink
he swigged first and held it out
to the old man
the old man took it greedily and
gulped a long pull
I thank ye he said and held it
back to him
No thanks I bought that for
you Just wanted a taste wet my whistle
Whaelse ya want
Nothing I thought you might enjoy it with your
cigarettes
Mighty kind
Aint much You gonna be able to hold onto them
Yeh Got buddies to share with
Good to share
Hellyeh how can ya not share a
windfall
Thats a good question Fare
well
Thank ye Back atcha
1511, Monday,
19 12. 16
Pink Floyd Astronomy Domine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QawLRFL0Js0
