072715   072724

At grad school the university paint crew 
straight lines clean coats 
honest labor with supervisor Matt 
a cheerful drunk sober weekdays
grouchy sitting on 5-gallon buckets of paint
cigarettes between barks
laments between cigarettes. 
Late for a weekend job at his Saturday morning bar
Matt telling stories 
the bartender and stools cackled at
‘mama’ throwing his clothes on the lawn
and changing the locks again.

The eldest of the crew was Dit
no smoke no drink
a governor of his language and
shy of the spoken word
he seldom spoke.
Mac MacDonald and I were pals chatting this and that
he brought his kids to visit
the toddler didn’t but the other kids needed
jars to spit tobacco juice in.
When I learned Mac’s illiterate he became dumb to me.

Connor Wells pronounced Way-ells
planted four tomato plants with minimal effort
minimal loss if nothing sprouted
married at 25 some teased his wife at the time was 14
the crew worried him she’d find someone who would
if he didn’t put plumbing indoors.
Connor weathered a snowstorm 
southern Kentucky an inch or two
with masking tape and black spray paint
winterizing thin-soled shoes.

Of all of us God loves Shorty best
60 or 45 and raspy voiced
he ignored Cliff the only black guy on the crew because
they had nothing in common.
Donna red-hair petite just married
enjoyed discussing marital positions
but Shorty wasn’t interested in that.
Tom the assistant foreman was authority which Shorty ignored
Goddamit anyone going to tell him what to do
he brushed never rolled regardless the height of the wall.
Shorty lived with his sister and he’d goddam her too
if she tries to get his paycheck again.
Paydays he buys rounds in downtown bars that don’t close
Falls City Beer far as his money goes and he’d goddam her 
if she tries to feed him an egg.
Brought to our apartment for a visit he called Dawn Darlin
he took her to the races
she drove because he never needed a license.
Told don’t throw empty cans out the car window
he said Ah Kay-en the govment got you brainwashed too.

The teenage kid on the crew said 'nothing' was his favorite food
he insisted nothing was his favorite when I poked 
do you prefer having nothing to eat at all?