After the Movies

by John Rocco

She told me these awful stories
about her friend whose boyfriend
used to rob drug dealers
handcuffing them to the bathtub
before they caught up with him
and shot him in the back of the head in
Poe town, Baltimore.
The friend's sister's husband
had a killer heart attack
from coke
leaving her broke
with two kids.

For some reason
this reminds me of
Neal Cassady
who did hard time for
two joints
in between driving
Jack everywhere
and piloting the bus
bomber boat driver
further, further.

He used to write Jack
great letters about
trying to score with girls
on buses, watching the
world fly away.
He stole his first car
at 14 and then many
more, but never for profit,
always just for the drive.

He died near some
railroad tracks in Mexico
walking alone
dying alone
the right way.


*John Rocco at MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/292819823