On My Back
At the ½ way house
one of the counselors got Parkinsons
He could still hoist the 20 gallon water jug
onto the dispenser
but then he couldn’t
and became slow as a tortoise,
couldn’t do the bed checks anymore
and was finally let go
A while later, while I was working graveyard,
he knocked on the door
he lived close by
“Louie? What’s going on?” I asked
It was against the rules but I let him in
he was always nice
“Please,” he said, “can you
check my back? There’s something there.”
“Umm,” I said, “I guess.”
He took off his shirt
which was hard for him
and there was a bedbug between his shoulders
I pinched it off with a tissue
it was gross
“It’s a bug,” I said showing it to him
That’s all I remember
but tonight I find
I am very alone in my life
and there is something
just there, on my back, and also
no one
to call.
Jon Bennett writes and plays music in San Francisco. You can find his music on most streaming sites and some of his writing at https://jonbennettwebsite.
