I met him in the midland
Sometime before the dustmen came
Slumped in a plastic chair
On the corner of a crosswalk
I tried to pass him by
But he called out my name
He cried, “Dirtskin!
Why are you wondering this far
from your bed?”
Before I could reply
He let forth a burst of laughter
“I kid, of course!
You prayed.
I answered.”
I studied this midnight creature
He wasn’t what I’d imagined
A man in a tan sweater
One eye blackened
Scruffy beard, white nikes
That were clean as a whistle
He held ice in a hankey
And was smoking a cigarette that fizzled
“You like it? It’s down”
He said, pulling at his top
“Come, have a seat
I might teach you how to shop
Wearing all black like you’re
some slick sleuth
Well, the only thing I spy
Is an uncouth youth.”
It must’ve been my blank look
That made him chortle
The sound raged through my head
A mad sea upon a mortal
He shook till he coughed on a nicotine drag
“Oh, Dirtskin, lighten up” he rasped
I turned to leave but he grabbed my shoulder
His coarse fingers dug through my sleeves
“The routine’s not over.”
I caught my breath and sat down
“I’ve got a card trick just for you!”
He sounded so proud
He threw away the ice and handed me a pair
A Jack of Clubs and a Four of Hearts
“Make a choice, if you dare.”
His black eye twinkled
“Then tear the other one apart
Like you’re so good at doing.”
Was he a god or an old friend?
I had no way of knowing
I made my choice and did as I was told
The bits turned to dust
A gust of wind left me cold
“Now,” he grinned, “Tear up your card too.”
When all that was left was dust
I wiped my hands through
“How’d you get that black eye?”
“Oh, a scuffle with destiny
She said I refused to see
What was right there in front of me.”
Without further explanation
He pushed up his sleeves
To show me his hands
That looked shaped from debris
The lines ran like ditches
The knuckles were craggy
His palms were eroding
And his nails were jaggy
One snap. One flick.
The two cards appeared
He rolled them up
His smile was a smear
“Give me your light”
One flick. One breath
Into the night
Grew the stench of death
Shoulders relaxed, he rose up to go
I frowned and blocked his path
“Yes?”
“So
which one was mine?”
He patted my face
“Who the fuck cares?”
With that, he walked away
I watched him disappear
I shrugged in disbelief
Before realizing he took my light
The goddamn thief