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UNDERGROUND VOICES: POETRY
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JAMES BABBS That's What Friends Are For couple of days ago I decided I'd go around to my buddy's house because I hadn't heard anything from him for the last two or three weeks and I was starting to think maybe something was wrong I pounded on the front door then I tried the knob but it was locked I went to the back of the house walking through the unmowed grass I tried the back door but didn't have any luck there was a basement window on that side of the house so I bent down and looked inside I saw my buddy in the laundry room standing about waist-deep in a hole that had been broken in the floor he was shoveling dirt and putting it on the pile next to him there were empty beer bottles strewn around him and fast-food wrappers and dirty paper plates and pieces of concrete I beat on the glass and watched him jump then he saw me and grinned a couple of minutes later he came to the door what the hell are you doing I asked he was dirty and covered in sweat and he smelled like stale beer listen, man he said his voice frantic I'm really busy right now what's going on I said and he motioned me down to the basement he had this crazy look in his eyes crazier than normal and he hurried over to the corner where papers were scattered and started foraging through them until he found the ones he wanted here he said thrusting them at me I took them from him glancing at the top one not really sure about what I was suppose to see he said I'm digging a bunker a place to hide you know what I mean I said okay you don't get it, man he said looking toward the laundry room things are happening he said what kinds of things I asked he blew air out of his mouth and I could smell his breath it's all over the internet he said and I'm already way behind I asked him if he had any beer check the fridge he said and he went back to work I found two bottles on the top shelf I took one and started drinking it my buddy was back in the hole shoveling out the dirt as fast as he could they're going to start rounding people up he said I took a long drink when's all this suppose to happen I asked soon he said without stopping I finished the beer went back to the fridge and started on the last one I stood there without saying anything I watched him for a couple of minutes then I told him I had to get going but I said I'd come back later on and check on him and could he give me some money so I could run by the store because he was all out of beer |
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