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1. It's A Small, Small World
Yeah
Yeah
It's a world of laughter
when you can't run as fast
as a group of your peers
or you can't aftord the things
that they think your family needs
it's
a small, small world
you don't need a mirror
you have the rest of the world
***
2. My soul to keep
I snuck down the stairs
in the quiet of night
with a torn, stained pillowcase
stuffed with torn, stained clothes
because I didn't have the rent
for the week gone by
so I sat on a bench
in the park
with my clothes
and could think of
no better place to be
until I found a car
on Fordham Road
that seemed more
abandoned than me
it's windows
were shattered
it's back seat
inviting
I put my head down
on that pillow
of clothes
I snuck down the stairs
in the quiet of night
with a torn, stained pillowcase
bulging with torn, stained clothes
because I didn't have the rent
for the week gone by
so I sat on a bench
in the park
with my clothes
and could think of
no better place to be
until I laid eyes on
that beat up old car
left abandoned on
Fordham Road
it's windows
were shattered
it's back seat
inviting
I put my head down on
that pillow of clothes
which i left in the car
the next day —once awoke
while i went off
to hustle
some food
here and there
that was
four whole days
of life
until a friend
dropped by
and told me that
Richie moved out
from Duke's up the block
so if I liked
the couch was mine
for 30 bucks a month
so —enterprising
young man that I was
borrowed a dollar
and bought a token
then took the train
to Times Square
and worked the door
of some massage parlor
handing out flyers
for 4 bucks an hour
paid cash
at the end
of each night
some 12 hours later
I climbed 5 flights of stairs
and paid Duke his money
I had a place for a month
then a few days later
walking down to the park
I saw the car that I'd slept in
had it's street side smashed in
by what had to be a drunk
in the middle of the night
where i once was now but not
oh wow
that would've been
could've been me
guys were laughing
it should've been
ha ha ha
but it didn't
i was luck
there was magic
yet no why
a few months later
I watched
as they towed off
the car
watching the car
being towed
down the hill
then I turned
up my street
sighing
here goes again
as I tackled
those 5 flights of stairs
***
3. Wake up & Smell the Roommate
what if
in the future
your roommate
is growing in
a petri dish
right next to yours
oh my god!
there are worse things
than having
the container of ice cream
you thought you had waiting
for you in the freezer
not be there or even
having one bite left
when you know
good and well
it was half full
dammit
like
how about
being able to afford ice cream
or have a working freezer
with a roof and walls
to place it in
instead of
rant rant rant
about
your roommates
your roommates
your roommates:
how come
no matter
what time
I get home
your backpack
blocks the door?
HUH?
or
How come
my iPod
is stuck on James Blount?
always more questions
not enough answers
not enough action
after the fact
You owe me money
for the electric bill
You were supposed to fill
my car up with gas
You were supposed to buy
light bulbs
You left the water running
in the toilet bowl again
You were supposed
to buy toilet paper
You used my toothbrush/paste
floss/whitener/polygrip
You're 3/4 days/weeks
late with rent
Clean out the Tub!
Don't you ever Bathe?
How come you didn't
recycle?
and worst of all
the very worst
the worst that
you could hear
from someone else
I've got the perfect roommate
they're never home at all
the new breed
moving forward
loneliness
breeds a purer
psychotic
just think of
what the petri dish
will breed...
***