Street roots
15 '
Sept. 28, 2012
Going Greyhound
By Andrea Shetzline
The grey-bearded stranger looked like someone
Emptied an ashtray into his soul,
A guy from whom all manner of debts had been collected,
And with interest. He was annoyed,
And would make it someone’s boring lot to find out why.
Aimless me (laid off they called it)
Wanders into this bleakness of constant departure.
In another corner a middle-aged alcoholic,
Tallying his tawdry defeats,
Makes God some foolish promises.
With cleavage like a cream pitcher,
The brave faced young runaway glances
At the meticulously half-laced Nikes
Of the smiling promoter who’s just asked her name.
So many temporary solutions.
She doesn’t know he’ll have her
Selling blowjobs for the price of a hamburger.
It’s warmer in here, no rain or wind.
A sign in the ladies’ tells me that
someone with a Xerox and a telephone
is contra la violencia domestica.
Maybe this wasn’t another wrong turn,
What if, for once, my bladder had profound intentions?
"Reagan comes home to roost," by Jos Sanees
For a hundred-and-nine dollars
I can take the next one to Fresno,
To Cleveland, to Orlando.
The demons there might be friendlier.
In front of the stall door,
A desiccated woman scratches her wallet for a dime,
The price of unlocking,
Struggling with thick hose,
Avoiding her incontinent old age.
I crawl under and unlock it for her.
If I go home now, I can get
The dishes done before bed.
Answers on page 6
Sudoku
Crossword
Across
1. Cheese in a ball
5. Mung or garbanzo
9. Poet’s “below”
14. “Buona___” (Italian
greeting)
15. Wrinkly fruit
16. Provide (with)
17. Property of a 9-Down
19. 747, e.g.
20. Creighton University site
21. A white sauce in French
cuisine
23. A wide-angle view
26. Three-time winner of
18-Down
27. They are used to used to
give an illusion of slow motion
32. Puppy’s bite
35. Pull an all-nighter
36. Start a hole
37. “____ perish” - H.G. Wells
(Two words)
40. Say again
42. Pool problem
43. Wild party
45. It was dropped in the 60’s
46. A person who embroiders
50. Albanian coin
51. Most squalid
55. Light, hollow rolls often
served with tea
59. Run up
60. Primitive calculators
61. Four tandem bikes, e.g.
64. Notches at the end of arrows
65. A midget buffalo
66. Stately trees
67. “Silly” birds
68. Baseball glove
69. “Buenos___”
Down
1. Prevent legally
2. Skin layer
3. Sect ender
4. Masculine, in Spanish
5. Sticker
6. It may be easily bruised
7. “Arabian Nights” hero
8. Not naughty
9. A type of mineral commonly
known as jade
10. It’s used to alter photos
11. Economist Smith
12. Harmonize
13. Command to a dog
18. ______Trophy, awarded to
the most valuable player in the
NHL
22. USMC rank
24. Sacramento’s ___Arena
25. Day after today, in short
28. A person who has migrated
out, en Francais
29. Make well
30. Sounds of reproof
31. Scurried
32. Indian bread
33. Like some chatter
34. Use a beeper
38. They are used to defend or
protect against theft
39. To broadcast
41. Little one
44. “Semiramide” composer
47. Barely get, with “out”
48. Blue-pencil
49. Washed clean
52. Potential water contaminator
53. ____cum laude
54. Lock of hair
55. Qualm
56. Slender reed
57. Tempo
58. Printer’s amount
62. Inherited
63. 5-Across cover
correct numbers, from 1 to 9. Every row, column and square must
include all digits, 1 through 9, in any order.
Office Cat Rooty sends a big
thank you to the groovy
organizations and
businesses who donated
their time and wares for our
online auction! Together, we
build a great community!