ghost

he knows to find me in eugene....
the last time i saw him he
waved to me
from the platform
as my train rumbled away...
coincidence is aplenty
on this anniversary weekend...

you see,
i know his story.
the rope marks,
the neighborhood.
i know his history.
it followed him
into the grave

the debt was serious
he knew he was in deep from the start,
but he was cocky as hell,
and he was real well connected.

our first dates
were route runs and
deals cut with
cabbies

in the end,
it was a combination of
his generosity and greed
that did him in
as he fed us all
more and more
and cared for his income
less and less

i watched his demise

and for years now
i've grappled
with sharing the burden

it is pouring out of me now
i knelt at my notebook
and wrote furiously
last night
and his spirit signaled me
for sure...

he came through the radio today
and is sending me now
on a train to Eugene

there is magic
on this
full moon November night...