Wednesday, February 2, 2011

They Knew Differently



Tony struck a match 
And lit his cigarette.
"I'll quit next week."

He's been saying that
For the last month,
It was his New Year's resolution.

We were waiting
Outside another dive town
For our contact.

I felt bad
For the people who lived here,
I even felt bad for the animals.

It used to be a prosperous place
But things changed when
The large factory closed down.

Jobs were lost.
Those who could leave, left,
Those who couldn't,
Just withered away into the desert.

It wasn't all bad,
A little niche industry
Blossomed in the barren land,
But instead of a flower,
A poisonous mushroomed grew.

That's why we were here,
To negotiate a shipment
Of a new drug.

It was such a new drug
That it didn't even have a name,
But we were able to sniff out
The manufacturer.

Just as I was looking at my watch
For the umpteenth time,
I noticed a reedy guy
Making his way in our direction.

At first glance,
He looked like another 
Pock marked teenager
But he was wearing the jacket
The contact was supposed to be wearing.

"Jimmy. Tony.
How may I be of service?"

That's all we needed.
Before the smirk
Could reach his eyes,
Tony had knocked him out
And I had him in the trunk
Of our rented car.

In less than an hour,
We were deep in the desert
And had started digging.

Six feet was standard,
But we dug deeper,
And when we were satisfied,
We climbed out.

With a Glock aimed at his head,
The contact had no choice 
But to jump into the hole.

It was only 
As we were throwing dirt in
That we formally introduced
Ourselves to the contact.

My name is James Withfield,
Father of Elizabeth Withfield,
Lizzie, to those who knew her.

My accomplice is Anthony Copper,
Father of Luke Cooper,
Lizzie's boyfriend.

The kids would have been here
For our little party,
But they were dead,
Overdosed on a nameless drug.

By morning,
The contact was buried,
The rented car was aflame
And we were on our way east.

East was home
And home was where our families
Were still mourning the deaths 
Of Lizzie and Luke.
In their minds,
They knew Tony and I were
On a road trip to grieve in our own way,
But in their hearts,
They knew differently.

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