The Heat
It was a strangely hot
day in San Francisco
and I stretched out in the cool
grass of the park with a
cheap six pack
along with all the others
with nothing
better to do.
The feel of the sun
the grass
and the cold
cold beer
was as good as anything
the world had to offer.
A shirtless man
not much older than myself
sat down beside me.
He said nothing
and I said nothing
and we sat that way
for a while.
I’ve been sober for ten days,
he finally said,
and I don’t much see the point.
I smiled a bit
in reply.
Mind if I have one of those,
he asked, motioning
toward the beer.
I nodded and handed him
a bottle.
He popped the cap and took a long drink.
It’s good, he said.
Indeed, I replied.
The heat, he continued,
makes it hard
to do anything.
But then I guess
that’s life,
all you can do
is relax a bit
and wait for it
to pass.
The heat, I asked,
or life?
Whichever,
he replied.
Page(s) 7
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