Diary Entry, March 24

Today

walked home     tho cold

No coffee     no Crackerjack       no

books     $200 cash     3.50 taxi

saved     5.69 coffee not spent

                                      Wind blowing

hard     Scarf tossing in my face

breathing fast the cold

A young man     boy    walking

like that boy in Ellerbe     hands deep

in pockets     shoulders twisting

                                      mouth bitter

glittering eyes     black-fringed      into looking

Kiss-me-quick-I’m-off-goodbye     tied

my scarf under my chin

                                     Hurry

Just past the bridge wind threw

a foam hot dog carton onto

the walk ahead of me     It landed

flat     waddled along open      a little casket

determined to get home first     But

the wind lifted it again     took it off      I,

determined to get there before it

                                    Waddle

as the wind blows, casket

                                    A fling

of maple keys to street

That’s the way the money goes

Keys     eyes bluegray      Black-fringed

Don’t shiver little star

It’s not as cold as all that