had a cousin
almost a decade older than me I think
when I was a wee lad living in an imaginary world
we’d play catch in his front yard the times we’d come over to visit
had a jukebox that didn’t work much on his back porch
Bob Dylan, The Standells, Paul & Paula
he was always working on it
seemed like a good guy
swimming in their pool, bologna sandwiches with mayonnaise and lettuce
that was the standard lunch those days
his older brother became a commercial airline pilot
what’s your zip code
his middle brother was quite the athlete
never was there--don’t think i ever met him
his parents joked that the youngest
was the fourth most popular sibling out of the three
jerk parents
he never found his niche
washed out of the Army in a few months
served time in North Carolina for selling drugs to some undercover man
served time in Joliet, Illinois for something i don’t know what
drifters drift and he drifted
died young from something drug related
seemed like a good guy
