the street

andy woke at midnight and listened to the rain remembrance of reality overflowed his brain betty lived across the hall she had trouble sleeping especially when andy was awake and silent creeping chandler was the landlord or maybe the concierge he had terrible dreams at night and in daytime terrible urges danny lived around the corner in a cardboard box he had seen and done it all and was immune to shocks eddie drove a taxi up and down the street he kept his brogans polished and his fingernails filed neat frankie was a player for eternal fame if coach would only put him in he could change the game gilda was a night person slept but once a week but did not take it kindly when called out as a freak harry was called “the horse” for lack of imagination among his fellow tenants in the chambers of degradation irma was a “floozie” a word now obsolete but she brooked no nonsense when she walked the street johnny was the leader what he said went down but what good did it do him when everyone left town karen wrote a novel and lost it on the bus and then went home and hanged herself without any fuss larry was a wino who had once been a preacher murder was his mama and hard knocks was his teacher maggie was a mother who ran away and hid she just couldn’t help it she didn’t like kids nick was a cowboy born out of time if he could have rode with jesse james it would have been so fine olive was a poet her fingers often shook as she wrote down her secret thoughts in a little red notebook pete was a dreamer with long and hairy arms and wished that more women would appreciate his charms quigley was a dreamer too his dreams ran deep most of his fellow humans thought he was a creep ricki was a sleeper would have liked to sleep all day but society had taught her that that was not o k shirley only wanted to be left alone all humans were her siblings and all the world her home toni heard voices in the walls and in the air inside or outside they were always there uncle joe had a mustache which sometimes did droop he was not a member of any organized group vinnie was a gambler whose luck had run dry he sat on the sidewalk and watched the world go by wanda was a pushy sort who aggravated many and when she counted up her friends she found she had not any excuse me for a minute while i catch my breath an old friend is calling and his name is death oh young people hear my words the street is for the people and the air is for the birds zeroes on the wheel of life zeroes in my brain zeroes are beyond counting we will meet again