The Mayor of Williams
My tow truck driver is
“70, but a young 70!” and
has plucked me from Williams, CA
to bring me to Marysville
so I can rent a car
He’s off duty and worried
I won’t pay him
“I mind my own business
as long as
no one fucks with me!” he says
I’m holding my bag in one hand
and my puppy in the other
my car will be repaired tomorrow
“If you read the papers,” he says,
“a few years back you’ll see
a certain mayor
got elected in Williams.”
“Were you the mayor of Williams?” I ask
“I was,” he says, “so nobody
fucks with me!”
I don’t mind paying him 50 bucks
I’m just glad for the ride
but I’m mad at myself
for the tell of
holding my bag so tight
like my life
depended on it
which it does
in a way, and which
has made him nervous
Then we are quiet
each wishing things
had gone better for us
and hoping they’ll
go our way.
Jon Bennett writes and plays music in San Francisco. You can find his work at Jon Bennett stuff and on most streaming sites.
