How smart was he how smart was he

usually he didnt give himself any strokes 

abruptly he thanked others if they tried to commend him

to him it was a form of flattery and as a kid he didnt prefer it figured whomever used it wanted something  and he wasnt inclined to favor anyone  he was suspicious

a job well done thorough was confirmation enough for him

if he was rude and he wasnt or at least tried not to be hed interrupt them Please stop  No thank you  If you must go shine someone elses buttons

no praise

          he hadnt done the work for praise

he did it selfishly did it for his own satisfaction

How smart was he 

                    he was going to grind the beansstart the coffee so when he returned from his barber five minutes down an five back hed have freshbrewed without waiting on it it could wait a bit on himBAM he liked forcing inanimate things to do his bidding

coming home through the door hed dole some dates from the fridge into a small china bowl pour himself a cup of black joe sit before PC write emales  wriote interspersed with pauses in those mechanics to read articles of interest

made for satisfying mornings early afternoons            

How smart was he 

                    he was smart enough to know that he was gambling with his epiphany for whenever he thought he had something by its shorthairs  then something else unexpected traipsed along forcing him to improvise

improvise improve his vise get a better grip on the situationwhatever it is

                                                                             thats how smart

so head on a swivel

                     then eyes in a book In A Lonely Place Dorothy Hughes  when glancing ahead he saw the street formed up copacetic

haircut

he kept his hair short because his girlfriend liked it

the cut was a breeze

out the door

left past the building

eyeballed the street

nada  no sweat

nose in the book

all fine and dandy until he came up on the cornerthe right to take him home

                                                                                  a kid

a kid on a bent knee

a kid somewhere else in his head with a graying Golden retriever shaking beside him

the leather strap hung from its collar

Hey

the kid looked up

redrimmed eyes 

hed been crying

the dog hobbled a bit towards him  then gave up

the kid said nothing

Are you alright

whatever he tried to reply got lost in a gargle of sorrow his eyes grew wet

I cant help can I

Nahgulp .  .  . mister.

Alright  For what its worth  Im sorry

gently he placed his right hand on the dogs head it shook involuntarily  the dog didnt seem to notice his hand  

thats tough

             thats how smart he was

the coffee and dates didnt taste as good as they usually did

1104,  Reggae Friday,  16  8. 19