i met an old man 
on the train 

said he had cancer 
H.I.V.
you name it 

said he had no one
left 

with a smile 

said he shot dope 
for twenty five years 
back when it was two 
dollars a bag 

 

said he had no choice 
since it made 
his dick hard 
as a rail 

 

said he had a reputation 
to uphold 

 

said everybody used to call 
him Doc 
cuz he could always find 
a vein 

 

said the junkies would come 
to him cause he could ease 
a needle in so slow 
they wouldn’t feel 
a thing 

 

until their eyes rolled back 

in their skulls 

 

i remember saying 

the dirt buried my brother 

i forget what he said 

but i remember feeling 

like i just had a breakthrough