Stranger in Town

[couchgrouch]

Stranger in TownStepped off the buswith a Goodwill coatstruck a match on his bootlit a smoketall and leanshy and low-keytouch of greyin his dark goateerented a one roombungalowbought a pint, let his mindfind long agodesk clerk staredwhen he checked intime is hauntedand what he wantedwould soon find hima stranger in town, without a friendat the mercy of, all four windseither nowhere boundor already therethat stranger in townstruggled to caretwenty years agoshe'd stood in the coldon that frontage roadfighting pitynecklace of hickeys'round her throatshe had the cheeksof a proud Navajowhen he picked her uphe knew she'd sunk lowwhen he was throughshe said what he owedbut instead of cashhe gave her his leather coatdropped her offwhere she was beforeGod have mercy onfools and whorescos two towns downthat interstatethe First National was robbedby a thirty-eightand a stranger in town, without a friendat the mercy of, all four windseither nowhere boundor already therethat stranger in townstruggled to carepack of Luckiespack of matchesa lifetime in the trashwith the asheshe got one letteron the insidehe read it againsame as ev'ry nighttears in his whiskersempty on the floorthere came a poundingat his doorthe sheriff stood therehard cheeks and deep blue eyeswith a faded coattime couldn't disguisedust to dustrain to river to seaflesh to fleshblood flows to bloodwherever it may bethey drove out of townto a Potter's Fieldfound an old markerwhere they cried and kneeledat least they had each otherand when they left that nightthere was a warm winter coaton the cold gravesiteof a stranger in town, without a friendat the mercy of, all four windseither nowhere boundor already therethat stranger in townno longer cared(c)2005 Robert George