Hey Old Man

He said, "Hey old man, what you doing in there Living in a cardboard box Why don't you come out of your hole Throw that bottle away and get yourself a job." He said, "Hey old man, are you listening Bet you didn't even hear a word I said. Winter's coming on, and it's getting cold You might be better off dead." The old man said, "Come her son, And I'll tell you a story if you got time. It might help you understand Why I'm living here in this slime. Here's a picture of my little girl With my wife and I loved them so. They were killed by a drunk driver About thirty years ago. Now you might think I'm a useless old drunk And maybe that is true But, you see, when they died in that accident Part of me died too." He told the boy how they would take long walks And played laughingly in the park. He told them about the old oak tree Where they carved their initials in the bark. "My will to live was taken away. My life became a bad dream. I buried my sorrows between bottles Of Jack Daniels and Jim beam So, you see, son, always be careful of The things you say and do Long ago, I had a family And a good life, just like you. The boy shook his hand and gave him a hug As they said their sad good byes When the young boy turned to walk way There were teardrops in his eyes. Vince Suzadail Jr.