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enjoy this writing from David J. Thompson in the free 8½" x 8½" 2017 PDF file chapbook: “It’s Like Losing” (click the cover image or the title for the free PDF file)				Order this as a 2017 8½" x 8½" perfect-bound ISBN# book with poems and photography, out either with greyscale interior pages or with full color interior pages online!

It’s Like Losing

David J. Thompson

Like me, he eats alone most nights
At the little Greek place in the strip mall
With the Walgreen’s and the tanning salon
near my apartment. He’s got a thick beard,
always wears an Elmer Fudd hunting shirt
and one of those black Viet Nam P.O.W caps.
I hope to hell he’s older than me, but I know
It can’t be by much.

Tonight, I look up from my paper and food
to hear him say to the waitress after he orders
the chicken parm special, My dryer died today.
Had the damn thing for twenty-two years.
It’s just like losing another member of my family.
Seems like since Jeanie died, I can’t catch a break.
She tells him that she understands, pats him
on the shoulder a few times, says his salad will be
right out. He turns to stare out the window and I push
the sports section away, get back to cutting my way
through some pork chops that now seem pretty tough,
try to remember the last time I used a dryer
that didn’t need quarters.

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