Thief

[couchgrouch]

ThiefBolt-cutters and a crow-barI stole that abandoned carfrom Joe's Salvage Yardthe pulled a job and robbed a Qwik-Stop in Tonopahgot a room with weekly ratescharred wall sockets from cheap hot platesmade for guys moving state to staelike two strike felons or losers sellin'Mutual of Omahathe moths were all deadin the light above my bedand the cold grey wings, of yesterday's dreamsgrew still in my headtold that store clerkto throw in some Molsonso I wuz drinkin' and thinkin'on my last stretch in FolsomI was a thief, that's all I'd achievedlife is brutal and briefI was already in hell, so I might as wellbe a thiefshadows without shapesdread haunted the walls n drapeslike ghosts of sin trying to escapefrom the tomb of that roominto oblivionI looked around that stinking placestuffed some towels and ashtraysinto a stained up pillowcasethen popped a drawer and heard the hornof Gideonits pages were yellow with yearsbut the song was still clearit had moved whores and men, some parts marked in penothers in tearsthe widow reading Lazarusin the book of Johnthe unfaithful husbandmurmuring the Psalmsto a thief, that's all I'd achievedI was a trampled leafhow could I go on, cos life isn't longfor a life long thieflike the fire escape plantaped to the front doorhelping us avoid the flamesis what that book is forI thought of my old carthought of sin and thought of memaybe men ain't saved, they're salvagedbut I could still be freeI emptied that pillowcaseinside I found my souland that Gideon Biblewas the last thing I stoleas a thief, that's all I'd achieveduntil I found beliefsomehow in the dark, faith stole the heartof a thief(c)2005 Robert George