Short Story #1 Revised and Condensed

Stumbling up stairs

In a subway station in Hoboken

Trying to escape what it is

I do not know

I don’t know where I am

And am scared of what might not be

Other times like this

I played games with my computer

Exposing myself to people

Half a world away

My mind naked to be judged

And thrown aside

Three hours on a train

And a subway carries me into unknown territory

It’s hot and

Sweaty, I climb those stairs

Smash my hip on a turnstile

As the sun sets over Manhattan

I watch kids on skateboards fumbling

The same tricks I used to do

All those years ago

I wait

We drink beer and laugh

And walk past the hotel

Or club where GG Allin died

Concrete and pavement

It’s enough just to survive

I want us to be close always

All too happy to go

Yet struggling to leave

I know that things will never be the same

They rarely are

Walking six blocks in city heat

Dodging hell and traffic

With a backpack and one large army bag

I cry and drink water and lace my boots tighter

Sparing change for those more desperate

I can do this

Saved by a cigarette for one fleeting moment

I sigh

And make the trip homeward

I know what it is to be young