Leaves of Grass Page #5

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She'll lead you down

Through misery

Leave your load

Come time to go

Alone and low

As low can be

Well, if I had a nickel

I'd find a game

If I won a dollar

I'd make it rain

If it rained an ocean

I'd drink it dry

Lay me down

Just to satisfy

All legs to walk

And thoughts to fly

So where

do you live now?

In Providence.

Rhode Island.

Why, why would

you come back here?

It's where I wanna write.

I teach for money.

There's a college?

High school.

Here in town.

High school?

I tried

the tenure track,

but college

students are already

too culturally informed.

It closes their minds.

How come there

weren't more girls

like you in Hugo?

Maybe you didn't

know how to look.

Yeah. So, you

you teach

English?

I do.

My mother used

to do that for awhile.

She must be

very proud of you.

I have, uh,

I haven't talked

to her in quite awhile.

Why not?

That is a very

complicated subject.

You're some world

famous thinker?

Yeah, hardly.

Some minorly

famous thinker?

And you don't let

your mother enjoy that?

That's correct.

Why?

Because some day

she'll be gone,

then where will you be?

I'll be in the same place

I am right now.

Exactly.

You're smart.

You're not as smart

as you think you are.

Hey, I just got tricked

by my dope-dealing brother.

[Chuckles softly]

We all get tricked

sometime or other.

Hm. No,

I don't think so.

No?

Why?

Combination of what

you've been smokin'

and what

I'd do with you

you'd never recover.

I would do my best.

[Chuckles]

I'm going home.

Okay. Okay.

You know, can,

can we just like, um

I mean,

we were, we, we're

kind of almost having a...

I'm going noodling

tomorrow if you want

to tag along.

My brother said

that you did that.

Sweet dreams.

Here you go.

Now, check out

the best part.

Holy sh*t.

This here's where

I keep it alive.

Wait a minute.

Some of these

are from our room.

Oh, yeah.

Yep. A few more

I picked up along the road,

but all originals,

ain't no knock-offs.

(Bill)

Wow.

Now, sit you down.

[Chuckles]

Ain't that

the coup de gras?

I got her off a fellow

in Ponca City

'fore me and Colleen

hooked up. That was

my deal closer, baby.

If she knew what went on

in that bed, she'd have

never let me keep it.

That's lovely.

Let's get you

something for that buzz.

Remember these?

You're still going

with vinyl, huh?

Oh, hell, yeah.

I don't go in

for no digital.

They can't improve

upon the classics, man.

Come on,

lay you down.

Lie down.

Now you sound like Momma.

[Sniggers]

Sorry.

[Soft rock music]

How's that for a love bite

to soothe your aching head?

Hey. Hey.

Don't think that this means

that I'm in any way...

We ain't gonna talk

about that right now.

I'm just glad

you're here, Billy.

Cocaine tree look fine

You gotta put on your

Sailing shoes

Put on your sailing shoes

Everyone will

Start to cheer

When you put on

Your sailing shoes

Doctor, Doctor

Oh, cut it out. F***.

How're you

feeling, Professor?

What did you do?

Say, uh, I bumped

into some clippers.

It feels weird.

What do you think?

Oh, God.

What time is it?

It's time to get up.

Hey, I brought you

a few things. Put 'em on.

What? Why?

Only that thing

we were talking about

we gotta get goin'.

No. No, Brady.

That's just

not gonna work.

Why?

Because you've

given yourself

the stupidest haircut

in human history.

Bullshit. You ain't

that fancy. Can't

tell the difference.

I'm sorry, I never said...

Oh, you know

I fixed you up with Janet.

And didn't you like her?

My opinion of her

is totally unrelated

to your infantile scheme.

Hey, you listen.

I ain't foolin'.

You gotta help me.

'Cause if I don't get up

to Tulsa I'm gonna be

in real trouble.

Then go up to Tulsa.

Why do I have...

Because some sh*t

might happen in Tulsa

to where I...

Where you would

rather be seen

down here

so that you're not implicated

in whatever typically insane

criminal behavior you intend.

No f***ing way.

All I'm asking you to do

is to go and see Mom.

That one

little good

deed. That's all.

Oh, it's not a good deed

and I really don't

wanna see Mom.

You come

all the way down here.

No. You tricked me

into coming, actually.

Oh, will you,

it, it's so simple.

All you gotta do is walk

into a f***in' rest home

and see your own mother

who you ain't

seen in 12 years

for God knows why.

And on the way

you're gonna pass

a pig eating a bear claw.

They don't call them

that anymore.

They aren't called

"pigs" any more.

That's exactly...

So a police.

How do you even know

that he'll be there?

'Cause he got a shine

on this heifer who sits

behind the desk.

All you gotta do

is walk in and say,

Hi ya, Sharon

I'm goin' see my Ma.

And don't say another f***in'

word and just walk on by.

That is the most

ridiculous alibi.

All anyone would have to do

is find out you have a twin

and that I was here.

When we ever been

busted before?

You took tests

for me all the time.

And I let you go

on dates as me.

No. I did that one time

when we were 16.

She guzzled your

custard, right?

I have felt bad

about that ever since.

Come on, Billy.

I'm trying to change

my life here.

F***ing hell.

I'm asking as your brother.

Uh, I just walk by.

[Cheerful music]

Say, ain't it Saturday?

Yeah, so?

Think the Jews

is in church Saturdays.

You know

where it's at?

Can't we look it up?

Well, what if

it's more 'n one?

There can't be more

than one, can there?

Can I ask

you a question?

Shoot.

Do you believe

in a higher power?

Yeah, I do.

It's the only way to make

sense of all this. Otherwise

it's just pure f***in' chaos.

Like where we was

created by Him

and He judges

what we do?

No. I think

it's more like,

like, parallel lines.

Parallel lines?

You know, like two lines

go on and on forever

don't never touch.

Yeah.

'Cept, 'cept they don't

actually exist in nature.

And man can't create

no true parallel.

It's just

more of a concept.

I learned that sh*t

in high school geometry.

Uh-huh.

Well that concept,

that perfection,

we know it exists.

And we think about it,

But we can never

get there ourselves.

I think that

right there is God.

(Janet)

You ready?

For what?

Come on over here.

Jeez...

You just gonna

stand there?

[Laughs]

You have a spiritual

aversion to monofilament?

[Chuckles]

(Janet)

This is

the way it was done

I think

I can understand that.

You still leaving tomorrow?

I think so.

I'll miss you.

And we barely

even know each other.

You have not known

What you are

You have slumbered

Upon yourself

All your life.

Your eyelids have been

The same as closed

Most of the time.

What you have done

Returns already in mockeries.

The mockeries are not you.

Underneath them

and within them,

I see you lurk.

Who is that?

Walt Whitman

I don't think

I ever imagined

hearing him recited to me

by a girl gutting

a 40-pound catfish.

That's exactly how

he should be recited.

He wrote

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