Little Ricky passed September 13, 2017
Rick Sings
a star rises above the gazebo in Plaza Park
bright shiny new
the police review tickets
get their stories straight
sleeping in public
open containers
they turn the sprinklers on
disperse the homeless
10 days before Christmas
at Busy Bee Rick sings Patsy Cline quietly lovingly
he tells me Jack’s in Whittier
has the best ever French Toast
Jack’s had mom’s favorite salad
with blue cheese
we talk about the rain
his friend living in the riverbottom
he asks about Steve
I don’t tell him Tessa died
no reason to
we walk back to his place
past the park
the sprinklers are on
Two Birds
Rick has two baby birds
nested on a plate
near the window
in his room
one is already dead
the other will die soon
he found them
comforts them
talks to them
he says maybe
the bird woman
will come back to help
tomorrow Rick will
bury the birds
not throw them in the trash
we sit awhile and
then I go home
Rick Tells Me
a six-pack
of O’Doul’s
equals
a half a can
of Bud
we’re in my
front room talking
I give him
coffee a sweatshirt
cigarette money
he hasn’t smelled
of alcohol
since the fall
that broke his
arm
he’s living in
a house with
other mental health
consumers
one sleeps all day
and night and eats
another smokes rock
another points his
finger and goes
bang bang
Rick says
it beats the cold
but he has
scoped out
a tin shack
behind
the car wash
just in case
Chump Change
Rick’s sipping
a fast food soda
he’s pulled out
of a trash can
in Plaza Park
the soda falls back
into the trash
as he sees me
nothing is said
he got his Medi-Cal back
received his injection
two days ago
I hand him a remote
for the TV in his room
and some money
he calls chump change
Rick told me
he had the perfect dream
last night
not the usual nightmares
he tells me, sometimes
the injection leaks out his arm
into his clothes
he smells it for days
I thumb past
the lottery ticket
in my wallet
to hand him a card
with my number on it
he dreamed he was eating
Walking in the Rain
two days ago
I kicked four people out
of Rick’s room
yesterday
a guy tried to get in
when Rick opened the door
for me
it’s cold and raining
when the storm clears
the Topa Topas will glisten snow
the sunny days wind chilled
Rick quick-times through the rain
he’s agitated - Kimberly has taken over his room
when we open his door
she’s wrapped in blankets
the top one
a baby’s swaddling cloth
covered with blue satin
teddy bears
she slowly rises
puts her shoes on
places his stuffed animals
back on the bed
and walks out the door
He’s With Me
At the bank Rick waits
sitting in a chair
while I’m in line
he’s hunched down
trying to be invisible
as the security guard approaches
he says to the guard,
The paintings are nice
Rick’s pretty grubbed out
I’d like him to bathe more, wash his clothes,
clean his room, not drink so much
I’d like to tell him about my problems,
talk politics, art, watch a game with him
I yell out to the guard,
He’s with me. He’s my brother.
