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You Had to Be There

Joseph S. Pete

The homeless guy wouldn't stop talking about Coachella,
that time he'd been.
He remembered the whole lineup right down to the opening acts,
claimed to have seen every band on stage that day.
He had a strategy, he advised. He'd watch everyone play for a few minutes,
then migrate on to the next act.
That way, he missed out on the full set,
but was able to cover more ground,
sample the whole damn smorgasbord.

His life turned out to be like that, he wryly observed,
sifting through the grimy change pooled in his 7-Eleven coffee cup,
always on the move, never bound down.
He counted out the exact change.
In a way, he guessed he was free, unencumbered.
But, he said, slapping the loose change on the convenience store counter,
scooping up another hot coffee to fortify himself against the bitter chill,
in a way, nothing was ever free.

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