I hadn’t done her, not this morning. I was gonna do her in the afternoon when I got good and tight. Well what do you mean where I was? I went walking… we went walking back up the county road because Nutsy’s face was all a-shambles, with his jaw out like this, out to here. We didn’t even have the dope.

It was one of those mornings like you get around here when the mills are up with the pipes whistling low so you can hear it down to the big ditch.

I meant to go get the money, that’s for sure, but I’m not setting foot out of my house until I see Nutsy tits-up, bloody broken or whatever. I had gave him thirty-six dollars.

Yes, I’m admitting it to you, I was gonna do her but I didn’t get around to it. Won’t you sit down? Hold on, let me clear a spot, that’s just an old magazine. Don’t sit on my sunglasses, now.

On my mama’s life, look, you can dig through my ready bag right there. We’d packed up, Nutsy was gonna get some dope, and it was like a whole day went by waiting for the kid with my nose on the glass right there.

I’d like to know who done her if you find it out, but I guess that won’t happen. I can tell by that smile on your little face, there, Jerry. Sorry. Officer Manning. I known you since you was this high, right here. I can tell by the way you’re smiling that you’re not gonna tell me, but I wish I knew who done her.

No, sir, that’s for my own personal use, now you said you just wanted to talk, I’ve got my gotdamn mama in the back, now. Jerry, my mama’s back there. I told you a few times I didn't get her this morning because I was gonna do her after I got good and high.

It was just me and Nutsy and he only had four dollars so he was gonna do the leg work cause I don’t like chipping with them down at the Circle K or wherever they sell crack.

You can go find Nutsy, he’s probably chipping in right now at the Circle K or pulling a D off this pretty nurse down to Texarkana. Nutsy'll tell you I ain’t had nothing to do with her this morning and to get off my back already.

You need to go find that MH-17, they shot her down in a false flag operation in Russia. Now if you dare to challenge the, quote, accepted narrative, then you’re, what, instantly doomed to burn at the stake, I mean it. Don’t wake my mama with that cigarette, I’ll let you smoke being you’re a man of the peace and all.

I swear on my mama I didn’t do her.

That’s not me in your picture, there, Jerry, I ain’t got no rat-tail and I ain’t got no scissors. ”


W.F. Roby is a poet and artist living in Texas. His work has appeared in 32 Poems, Tri-Quarterly and storySouth.