[dead man]

October the 2nd

we all felt like we had over-invested
now that it was happening, emotional sickness
stony park driveway, aluminum benches
Louisville slugger, knocked him home in an instant
blood, bone and a kinship
forged in sulfur and the odor of shit
no soldiers of fortune, only
a roaming band of lonely apprentices
drove in a rental. rolled down all the windows
smoking our cigarettes
wishing it was anyone but Joe who had flipped
but that's it. grab the money
every token and trinket
roll him in shrinkwrap. load it with incense
petroleum, whiskey. its only business
we whispered to ourselves, over and over again
crying tears of grown men that froze on our skin
choking up our sentences
our jokes, our incentives. but
we knew what we signed up for in that moment, he says
and its true. we realized it
when we opened that chest, expecting gold
and found a set of headstones with our postal address
oh, boy. what a mess
we're pro accomplices in criminal negligence
part-time detectives, full time corporate collectors
part-time mules, full time motion detectors
barreling in coach round-trip towards independence
handy dandy brass knuckles
flasks of potions and nectar
baggies full of Faith, a psychotropic adventure
top drawers of our dresser =
total assault on serotonin receptors
folded nicely next to silver badges holsters and weapons
powder / gas / ghostly spectre
we hustled our dope relentlessly
while our enemies were shaving up soap, calling it ketamine
benzodiazepine, potent and sniff
if you're on patrol, you know what it is
we're all old friends
we used to argue as kids
how if anybody tattled we'd be throwing our fists
lo and behold, it resulted in this
adulthood is different
nowadays, we can't tolerate a hole in the fence
so we threw you in the trunk
of this boat with an engine
aka my old Deville, with the groaning suspension
dont you remember? you
helped me fix the rotaries in it
around the time my daughter was six, and Mona was pregnant
poor girl ..
but she'll get over it. you told us to listen.
then you sacrificed our brothers for a cozier sentence
coffee and entenmann's. conjugal visits.
almost cost us everything, innit
so close, but no cigar, no imprisonment
mozart on the radio, we're over the bridge
i hope you can swim, under a
hundred tons of ocean pacific
all i can say is
farewell, Joe.

I'll miss you.






rip