The Country Diary of a Subway Conductor

"Oh, get him out of there!"
What if it cost 25 cents to wake up in the morning?
A dollar, ten dollars?
He'd pay it all the way to the poor house
It's not made if it's in Roanoke
Okay, here it comes, night
He's pulling up in front of our house like a bus
Came at me with shears
Her sweater had faces all over it, famous faces knitted all over it
The porch swing ticked off Central Daylight time
"How many hours do you think it'll take me to smoke this cigarette?" she said with a smile
The smell of fried foods came drifting out one of the castle windows
"Let's go around back," I said
"My brother buried some stuff back there"
We ducked down and walked through the black bushes
My shoe made a sucking sound in the turf
"He can afford anything," I said
"He's got dogs that blow on trumpets"
"Priests!" she cussed
Thunder cracks over Ben Franklin's shop
Who wrapped my dreams in a blanket and led them outside to the black book in the yard?
This river leads right up to the party
How do you like my little boat?
This is the way the pioneers took to other settlements
We'll be there in ten minutes
You can see the lanterns from here
When we get there, we'll go upstairs and make free long-distance phone-calls
"Hey, what Indian tribe occupied southern California?
They were a lucky bunch of fellers!"
Sting Bible, More Sea Bible, Knur & Spell
In moments downhill, in moments downhill
Towards sleep in the Stillwater shop
Imagining places I was almost sure I'd never been
And had taken to assuming were the memories of my grandfather somehow deposited in my mind
They were there and gone
Just before I could get my bearings
Catch any names or find out where the hotel was
She piled up glass shavings that could not
Ever be reassembled into the gone order of buildings and the shade pouring off of 'em
"Water!"