Lucky for the Bad Stuff

We used to eat hamburgers together

Outside the Seven Burger

And watch the meter maids

Ticket people

He’d say his problem was luck
And I’d tell him

What my grandfather used to tell me

Which was that

Everything’s fine if you flip it

We’re all nice

If you flip what being nice is

And rich

If you flip what you think

That means

Luck’s the same way

You just got to turn it around

I’d say to him--

You’re lucky

For the bad stuff

And he’d say to me--

What kind of dumbass

Expression is that?

Man, I don’t know how

To cheer people up

Where I’m from, if you’re sad

They just let you be sad

Til you’re not anymore

No other technique for it

But that

He’d only eat a little bit

Of the hamburger

Because he had an appetite

Like a bird

And he was one of those people

Who can’t eat

When they’re upset

Which was never my problem

I can eat when I’m anything

On top of which
I don’t get upset all that often

Two years living on the streets

And you try to keep a good perspective

On what should send you

Into despair

I wasn’t going to get myself tied up

Over how lucky I’m not

He was pissed because he found

Twenty bucks on the street

Went into the casino

Lost it in five minutes

And forgot to get himself

A milkshake first

I said, Why’d you do that?

You can do a lot with twenty bucks

But he thought about it

And it didn’t seem like much to him

Because he hasn’t been out here that long

He was having a day

Where he felt like--

If I’m lucky enough
To find twenty on the ground

Maybe I’m lucky enough

To turn it into forty

Or a hundred

That’s why you can’t buy into

Feelings and shit

Because as soon as they get to you

They move on to someone else

Luck’s just a feeling

And so is everything else

That you can’t put in your pocket

And use when you need it

I have no room for anything

That’s telling me

When it’s coming and going

But it’s not my place

To tell him that

I just tried to get him

To eat more of the burger

Before the cops showed up

And busted us for loitering

Even though technically

We’re paying customers

Just like everybody else

This was right about nightfall

When the cars have to put

Their headlights on

But the sun’s still got something to say

About how she wants the day to end

I wiped some mustard

Off his cheek

And tried to find something wise

To say to him

That wouldn’t piss him off

Even more

After a few minutes

All I could think to do

Was keep my mouth shut

And try to act like
I didn’t hear him

Holding back from crying

But I did a damn good job of it

Pretending I’m good at

Pretending’s probably

What I do best