The Man Who Lived in my Car

I had a friend in trouble. He moved into my car. I wrote about it. The picture in the avatar is the bar behind my old home.

The Man Who Lived in my Car

 

 

 

His name was Santos

Short, peaceful, Mexican

He was my new neighbor

In the eight unit beach bungalows

That sat on the corner of 22^nd and pacific.

He lived across from me.

 

Happy

Smiling

More mouse than man

He told me Diablo

Lived in bar

Behind my Beach Bungalow

 

He was a good amigo

Had a fine brown van

And dated Apollonia’s mother

Life was muy bien

For my new friend

 

After a little while

Santos returned to the bar

Behind our home

To drink with Diablo

 

In a matter of months

He lost everything

His home

Van

And Apollonia’s mother

 

The bar life will

Drain a man.

Leaves him soulless

Leaves him homeless

Leaves him lifeless

 

He came to me one night

One Cold Harbor night

And asked me if he could

Sleep in

my

car

 

A four door

1989 Toyota corolla

I purchased from a Chinese student

Who attended Cal state long beach

Two doors worked

Two windows didn’t

The heat never did

 

I said yes

 

Before I left for work each morning

To baby sit the urban youth

I woke my sleepless, homeless friend

He lived in my car for six months

This was our routine

In a few weeks our routine would change

 

I later found plastic packets with a white dusty residue

I ignored them

I did not

I could not

 

 

My car became his temporary casa.

Driver side: bedroom

Passenger side: living room

Back seat: Kitchen, den, and foyer

 

During the morning when I woke him

He would jump out of the car

He would grab his green duffle bag

And hobble off

To the streets of San Pedro

 

My landlord was Roy

A self made Millionaire, who lived in Bixby Knolls but was from Allentown, PA

Roy owned a recycling plant

Roy owned a plane

 

Roy found out Santo was living

 In

My

 Car

 

He told me he had to go

He had caught him shitting in the alley

At that moment I thought Roy

Needed another hobby.

 

Roy said it was illegal to have

Homeless Mexican men

Who drank with Diablo

And dated Apollonia’s mother

In

My

Car

 

That night I saw Santos

He invited two other people

 Into

 My

 Car

 

His home

They were addicts

Drug abusers.

I told Santos his lease was up

He and the addicts disappeared

Into the alley

Behind the bar

Were the devil drank

 

A month later I told Roy I had to go

I packed the housecar and drove to Carson

 

A little while later

Roy’s plane hit a Mountain in Alaska

 

I guess God don’t like ugly

Even if he owned a plane.

 

 

Author's Note

please, comments, conversation, edits, love hates. I must say I love the comments some of you are very intelligent thinkers.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Good ending for Roy. I like the story. I like the description of the life of Santos. A lot of good people can fall down. Good to have someone give a little kindness. I drank with the Devil a few times on the beach in Santa Cruz. Thank you for the excellent story.
Coyote

[Dove]

This is a really cool poem. I like it,

[Julia Mancini]

lovely poem

[Brytt]

Well, goddang. Love the ending. Ha!

Good job, man. I especially loved the "In/My/Car" thing. Good emphasis!

[Another Relic]

A great poem! You definately have a unique style to your writing. I love the fact that you put a story within the poem. Story tellers don't always have to stick to the norm in order to write an effective piece. Great job and thanks for the friend request.

100/100

[Michael of Gilead]

Well, this is a good write, like the story but love the comments....

Obviously there are a lot of wall street occupiers here, odd how a guy who was a self made man, because he did not wish his property to go to hell is cast as the "bad guy"
and the addict and enabler are seen as "heroic"
seems kinda upside down to me

[Poetic Beauty]

This story has many twists and turns in it. It speaks like a real life experience and many time we all prey to addictions. There is a true general feel to this piece and it speaks of how are lives can change with one bad decision.

[LinBin]

Your work always makes me question and I love the way you weave brilliant stories into readable poetry, well done again x

[Violeta]

Wow... I loved this. Every accent at the end of a stanza "In. My. Car.", each character description, absolutely fantastic for a poem. Well done, friend. :)

[StarSandwich]

:D Loved the story, it was pretty awesomee :)

[RISHABH ARORA]

hahahaha !!!!!!!!!! a pretty good poem !! nice concept as well !!!! i shall not forget this one !! :D