bus stop words at 2am

guy next to me at the bus stop

asks if i chew gum

i say nah

he says i'll give you ten dollars

if you help me chew this gum

i got a job where i make

world's largest gum wall

hardest part is

doin the chewin

i say oh

he rolls a joint

when your bus leavin?

i say couple hours

he says you wanna hang with me

i say nah

he says don't be scared

i say mmhm

homeless girl who sat next to me before

warned me said just say you don't got

nothin on you

i hear a gunshot

he asks if i'm writin a book

i say poetry

he says you good?

i say i dunno

he says he didn't feel comfy

rappin in front of people

until he was 22

now he says he

takes it with him wherever he goes

it comes from his heart

he loves it

i wonder if that will be me

he asks if i'm jealous

of his talent  he's so self-confident

"spit it from the soul

music is my goal"

he raps out of the blue

every few sentences

he says see that rhymed

i say nice

he has music notes tattooed

on his face

he says what he loves about himself

he's lovable, confident

he says first thing people look at

are the tattoos on his face

he says his drug addiction doesn't

define him

he says bubblegum and meth are the two things

that fuck your teeth up most

cuz of the sugar

and the dopamine

i wonder how he started

he says he uses cuz of his adhd

the meth helps

they won't give him adderall

cuz of the addiction

but his brother got him hooked

when he was young now he can't quit

"you can see it in my eyes

all this pain i feel inside

why you think i'm gettin high?"

— June 2021, San Jose, CA