the conversation was thrown into the river
by a black-eyed son of a bitch
whose breath was bad
his mother sat in the car
and watched

across the narrow stream a black bear ambled into the deep grass

Lloyd Crimson sat in his trailer and drank Mickey Big Mouths
he had a collection of baseball cards from the early nineties
some kid had written on the Ken Griffey jr card in ballpoint pen the name Lloyd

Lloyd's girlfriend was working at the Alaska Bear Beer & Liquor

the black-eyed son of a bitch bought Old Crow there