Friends In High Places {A Poetic Short Story}

Thomas discovers something unbelievable about his best friend Ike.

Monday: 11:22pm

Thomas crashed onto his bed;
f**k laying down with ease,
a thirteen hour workday
had him blazed down if you please,
there had to be a better way
to lay down with some cheese,
than loading trucks all day;
the pain shot way down to his knees.

No day off in two weeks
had Thomas whipped without a doubt,
he grinded stackin chips
to move from out his momma's house,
the end result was worth it
as fatigue then rolled him deep,
"Just three more checks" he mumbled
as his body dozed to sleep.

Tuesday: 12:26am

Something crashed outside the window, "Hell I'm plenty stiff",
is just what Thomas mumbled
as he rose; twelve twenty-six,
is what his bedside clock read
as the bright green numbers glowed,
a random thought brought laughter
'bout how Snoop don't love dem hoes.

He shuffled to the window
somewhat halfway still asleep,
and gazed out at the backyard's
hidden pathway still aseep,
in flowers from the garden;
lillies roses and the like,
his eyes stopped on the stark
and very silly pose of Ike.

His best bud since the second grade
when Ike defended him,
against a group of bullies;
Ike, a true friend 'til the end,
he opened up the window
with his eyes still mostly shut,
they squinted as he yelled out
in the nighttime "Yo whasup?!"

"Where the h3ll you been at?!"
Ike inquired hat pinned back,
a simple gesture that he copied
from his dad in fact,
"They offer O.T. at the job
each day so I'ma stay.
I need this paper yesterday."
is just what Thomas say.

"The extra hours push my check
each week to say two large.",
Ike nodded hard as he paced
back and forth; the same two yards.
"Is sumthin on ya mind my homie?" Thomas asked with press,
"The way you pacin rapid yo
it's like ya a*s is stressed."

"Something happened earlier tonight,"
Ike said and frowned.
"I guess it's kinda hard for me
to wrap my head around,
the reason why do people
always do each other wrong,"
then Thomas shook his head
as he released another yawn,

"Bruh it's much too late
to entertain a thought that deep" responded Thomas as he stretched
still groggy off that sleep.
"Well think about it," Ike replied;
his face an awful smirk,
"I'll try and get at you tomorrow
when you get off work."

Thomas nodded in agreement
as Ike left the yard,
he then went back to bed and stretched and all that left was yawns,
he thought of how peculiar Ike
had acted there tonight,
another stretch and heavy yawn
then blasted him goodnight.

Wednesday: 12:26am

Thomas felt his eyes snap open
at the puny sound,
which wrinkled up his forehead
til he had a unibrow,
he vacated the confines
of his warm and cozy bed,
the pounding of his dome compared
to gunshots; hole in head.

He opened up the window pane
and there he was again,
the source of his awakening;
yup there he was, his friend,
he saw that Ike had on the same clothes
as the night before,
a short sleeved t-shirt even though
the cold that night was raw.

"Did you think about it?"
Ike inquired with no hello,
he even wore those same jean shorts
and it was well below,
the normal temp for nighttime coldness
at that time of year,
it's safe to say that Thomas
felt like Ike was acting weird.

"Damn my dude it's freezin out here;
why you dressed like that?"
He figured Ike was spacey
cause of bein stressed like that,
Ike shook his head "I'm good bruh;
I don't even feel the cold,"
a smile made Thomas nod his head, "Alright dude here it goes;

People make the world go 'round;
it's been that way for life,
you got some cats who are the gun
while others play the knife,
the gun dudes pop off quick at foes
but never really learn,
while knife dudes inflict suffering
and love to feel the burn.

There also is a third group
not to come off bein rude,
this last group plays the victim
so they come off bein food,
see most of us are victims
but we live a life of fun,
unsure how we'll be victimized,
it's either knife or gun."

The silence was so deaf'ning
Thomas thought he'd crossed the line,
but he and Ike went verbal jousting
like this all the time,
the cold night air was filled
with all the words they'd left unsaid,
Ike knelt down and the roaring sound
of laughter left his head.

"A good one bruh," Ike said with teardrops falling from his eyes,
"I'm really gonna miss this man
as well as all the times,
you kept me up by bein down;
a brother 'til the end,
you represent the true life
definition of a friend."

Thomas looked down shockingly
like "N***a wha chu mean?!
You're actin like you're leavin
as in down to flee the scene!"
Ike looked up at his friend like "I'll be closer than you know, i
t's gettin kinda late my dude
for real so lemme go."

As Thomas watched him walk away
a feeling hit his gut,
like meat left in the sun too long
it made him wanna chuck,
but he shook off the feeling
thinking 'bout what Ike had said,
then said a silent prayer for him
and closed his eyes in bed.

Wednesday: 6:17pm

Thomas left The Parkway
feelin like a million bucks,
all day he couldn't shake
that dreadful feeling and for what?
An ill timed word or two that Ike
had spoke before he left,
with four more rights he made his way moreso into the 'jects.

Ike's house was the last one
on the end of Miller Street,
a dead end block more times than not
that makes you feel the heat,
from all the would be hustlers
selling dope and coke and such,
as Thomas parked his whip he saw
the front gate open up.

Ike's older sister Tammy
stood beside the open gate,
he saw that she was crying
and he hoped she was ok,
"Hey Tammy, what's the matter?"
Thomas greeted with a hug,
but Tammy didn't answer
peepin him like he was bugged.

"Did you hear what happened?"
Tammy asked while wiping tears,
"I just got off of work," said Thomas, "what's the news my dear?"
She punched the gate in anger
while not known as one to fight,
she looked and spoke real gingerly,
"Ike died on Monday night."

The weight of what she said
dropped Thomas down onto his knees,
the tears came fast and suddenly;
he really couldn't see,
"What happened?" Thomas asked
while feeling dumb hot through his legs, "He killed himself," she answered
"with a gunshot to the head."

They stood and cried together
for the sudden loss of life,
while Thomas cried the hardest
for the utter loss of Ike,
it wasn't lost on him
that he had seen Ike late last night,
he didn't share for fear of seeming crazy; aint that right?

As Thomas drove he replayed
all the convos in his mind,
and stayed up way past late in hopes
for convo one last time,
but Ike did not come back that night;
it's sad but in the end,
his mem'ry lived as Thomas
lit a candle for his friend.

©2014
The Cunning Linguist