Busy night.
Long night.
Tired.
Robbery.
Domestic.
Juveniles.
Drunk driver.
Break time.
Coffee.
Need coffee.
Window down.
Night air.
Cool.
Damp.
Traffic light.
Winking red.
Right turn.
Skinny dog in alley,
Limping.
Bakery.
Dumpster.
Scraps.
Wino, in doorway.
A smile.
No teeth.
A nod.
A car.
Two teens.
Nervous glance.
Speed limit.
Exactly.
Mirror.
Tail lights.
Brake lights,
Signal light.
Left turn.
Gone.
Steam from storm drain.
Wispy tendrils.
Melt into black sky.
Radio crackle.
“Fight-in-progress.”
“Tip-Top Bar and Lounge.”
“Weapons involved.”
“Knives.”
“10-4. Enroute.”
Blue lights.
Siren.
Gravel crunches.
Siren stops.
“Hurry, Officer!”
Crowd circled.
Two men.
Metal flashes.
Step.
Grab.
Wrist turn-out.
Take-down.
Knife in hand.
Suspect on floor.
Handcuffed.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Mine.
Hospital.
Stitches.
Gun hand.
Again.
Should’ve been a writer.
It’s safer.
Much safer.
My spiral notebooks, short bits of text, are written accounts detailing a long and interesting career. They’re memories. Some good. Some funny. Some sad. And some, for peace of mind, should be forgotten. They are what they are and it is my hope that they now serve to provide you with access to a world that’s not often made available to the public.
