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.
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