My first real friend
I was six or seven
He was the Governor's Nephew
A well known Italian family
This poor boy sat on the Governor's lap
I learned to love Italian cuisine
But I could no longer live with Grandpa
We moved to the ghetto--Rat City
I was tall skinny a Mama's boy
Dad was the town drunk
We lived in a house with boarded windows
Plywood boarded that is
The police came once a week to take my father to jail
Twice a week to take Mom to the Hospital
And once I challenged him and went unconscious
My first friends nephews of the 1938 middleweight
Champion of the world Chekhovian kids and tough
Mom said, "Why don't you go meet those kids?"
"Do you think you can take him Ron?"
Ron was nine I was six going on seven
I went home crying and Dad beat me up
The next time I went across the street Ron was crying
I was known as the drunks son
So my friends like me were unpopular
My best friends came from all races and religions
A Jewish boy, a black boy and a Russian boy
The importance of all these boys they were outsiders
I was constantly in fights and my friends tough
My black friend died in a swimming accident
We were playing on a homemade raft and I had to go
The fire truck went by Sis and I and kids said,
"Two boys were in a raft and it came apart.
One of the boys could not swim, I cried still do.
He is one of the Angels that sits on my shoulder
The Russian kid, we were in cold war against communism
His parents were Communists and left America
He was not and a sixteen he lived homeless
Ivan lived in abandoned homes and made money racing
Stock cars for fifty dollar purses. He was ruthless
Lying about his age he died one day racing
I had to identify the body he had no family
He also sits on my shoulder as I write this
I judge people not by what they are but what they do
My Grandfather was a Socialist and hated
People thought Socialism was communism
He gave all his earning to the poor and needy
This included Japanese, Germans and me.
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