i was sittin on a lovely bench last night
looked to my right
a couple of guys
and one ems wife
all drinkin smokin cigarettes
on the saturday night
i was thinkin
about how i had nothing but
a light
one em walked over to the trashcan
next to me and dropped his half beer in and gave me a grin
well it wasnt a grin but it was some kind of look
as i looked at the beer i would have gladly took
fall down
just no consideration
man down man down

as he walked back
he mumbled something about how "its just a beer, cant even throw a beer away, """"

i thought maybe he assumed i was an environmental nut
scoffing at a bottle not being
recycled

i had had enough
time to move on
i get up and they are blocking my way

i judge the go around
no fucking way
i got all night but not all day


i move to walk through
the group of three
two men standing
much bigger than me
the woman sitting alone laughing
on the bench made for three

the man in the middle stops laughing and looks at me
i gesture because i just want to walk by
and he asks me
"do you got a problem?"
all my problems surface in my mind and i sigh
as i know ill tell him
every goddamn one

and i realize this is just an alpha thing and these alphas are drunk
they want to fight someone
but me seriously
do they think
that i think
im bruce fucking lee

i just hold up the crumpled cigarette i had found on the ground
and ask if i could have one of theres they had been passing around

the man says to the woman on the bench
oh he just needs a light
although he heard me wrong
it sounded for a second
we might get along
and she looks over and sees the lighter in my other hand
and tells the man
he has a light
and he looks at me
and i clarify
for my habit justice and peace

as all three take a moment looking at me
i notice the pause
and the man says no
and like someone pressed play
the woman took her hand out of her purse
and they all stayed quiet
looking at me

the end
and not the end

happy birthday