Poetry of Issue #7        Page 7

DAVE LEARY

Dave began snorting Heroin
every six months,
then every three months,
then once a month,
soon he was hooked.

He started stealing
from Christian storefronts.
How low can you go?

Dave got on welfare,
which put him up
in the 23rd Street Hotel,
where rats ran down the halls.

Dave was on Methadone Maintenance.
He came to visit me,
but all he wanted to do
was eat chocolate cake
and listen to Felonious Monk records.

I tried putting on Jefferson Star Ship,
but Dave would not hear of it!