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

[P.H. Carver]

Excellent Poem, I wish I could be as good as you someday! Keep up the great work!

[J.V. Stanley]

Certainly a good write here! Its interesting how you used Diablo within this poetic story, essentially the devil to whom this Santos kept what seems to be a very close acquaintanceship resulting in him losing just about everything. Diablo seems to be that type of friend that one clings to even though that friend brings about such horrible destruction upon the character as the devil often does. I love how you related that in with the substance abuse, the alcoholism and how it quite literally poisons the soul leaving nothing but an empty shell.

Poetry with such rich context such as this one has an underlying lesson within it, its solely about the Devil and the evils that one encounters when one allows 'Diablo" to take over one's life but in all actuality, God has greater power within. (so does Karma). That the subtle generosity of opening up one's car for the sole purpose as to allow Santos to sleep, to live, to survive despite his many flaws and addictions is an act of supreme generosity, something that we all need to delve more into....opening our hearts as well as our minds.

So many financial levels in this piece, Santos, who lost everything and is left destitute, there is the narrator who I only assume has moderate income, enough to survive and enough to be generous with what he has, and then there is the millionaire too blinded by his wealth to see what true wealth really entails.

Brilliantly penned.

[Rene Velez]

excellent write, well written and great ending...

[Ghostshell]

I really found this riveting. You're a great storyteller. I didn't like the end at first because I didn't give a s**t about Roy and his death seemed superfluous. Then I realized that, in itself, was a powerful thing because I did care about Santos and I just hadn't gotten it yet.

[paradise]

wow very stange and wierd but i like it

[Dahlia Phoenix]

Santos was leading a life of deprivation and letting alcohol along with drugs take over his persona. He lost everything so that even made it worst. For one thing, you did the right thing of helping him out but at the same time we must have tolerance or we could end up looking like fools in the end.

"I guess God don’t like ugly
Even if he owned a plane."

Sometimes these things happen even to people we never expect. Maybe God didn't want to see him suffer no more. :( Either way, this poem was amazing and descriptive.

[NA]

This was amazing. Usually I despise poetry but this was clever, well thought out and had a flow that I've hardly ever seen achieved. Bravo.

[Zeitgeist Manifesto]

Wow. This was some gripping narrative. Santos seemed like a nice man who got caught up in life. This was a great story. In some ways it is a dark comedy.

[Raven Starhawk]

Potent moments like these are forever captured by time's graceful memories. They are reminders as well. Great poem you have here.

[trainwreck]

This had a great flow. The story you told left nothing hanging. Santos was well-described, as was your landlord. The way Roy died was perfect as an ending to your story. Also, saying Roy was ugly instead of Santos was brilliant. Great job.