Eighth Grade

My eighth grade English teacher

  gave me his copy of "Ham on Rye"

  by Bukowski and I never read it,

  I went to a private school,

  Had been in a fight or three, he was from England,

  his name was Mr. Rickson, if we were lucky

  he'd tell stories of how his brother's debt collectors

  wanted to break his legs in two, & how

  he didn't believe in marriage

  only common-law union. I wrote a story

  in seventh grade for the creative writing

  portion, about favela gangs,

  & my parents were called in on account of the violence

  but Mr. Rickson would have told me, what I wondered,

  was it any good? As good as

  Bukowski?

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