the insane always loved me

and the subnormal.

all through grammar school

junior high

high school

junior college

the unwanted would attach

themselves to

me.

guys with one arm

guys with twitches

guys with speech defects

guys with white film

over one eye,

cowards

misanthropes

killers

peep-freaks

and thieves.

and all through the

factories and on the

bum

I always drew the

unwanted. they found me

right off and attached

themselves. they

still do.

in this neighborhood now

there’s one who’s

found me.

he pushes around a

shopping cart

filled with trash:

broken canes, shoelaces,

empty potato chip bags,

milk cartons, newspapers, penholders . . .

«hey, buddy, how ya doin’?»

I stop and we talk a

while.

then I say goodbye

but he still follows

me

past the beer

parlours and the

love parlours . . .

«keep me informed,

buddy, keep me informed,

I want to know what’s

going on.»

he’s my new one.

I’ve never seen him

talk to anybody

else.

the cart rattles

along a little bit

behind me

then something

falls out.

he stops to pick

it up.

as he does I

walk through the

front door of the

green hotel on the

corner

pass down through

the hall

come out the back

door and

there’s a cat

shitting there in

absolute delight,

he grins at

me.