amphibi.us

The stoic man with the fake beard
like bootleg cotton candy,
stationed in front of Rite Aid
swung a mean bell.

So mean I couldn’t tell
he only did it one month a year.

Waiting for my transfer to the 94
on my way to junior college,
I walked up to his red pot,
nodded,
and dropped in
thirty-seven cents.

The stoic man with fake beard
like bootleg cotton candy,
looked me up and down
and the second person retort
went,
“You cheap mother fucker…”
And I stopped believing in Santa.

© Daniel Romo, 2010

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