my neighbor joe
by max garcía conover
my dog died in 2005
she was holding my heart and i was holding her hide in the rain
my neighbor joe shot my dog
he said "i killed her cause you called the cops on me"
when i die my only ghost is for you joe
otherwise i'm staying gone when i go
after that my grandpa passed
at night sometimes i'd wonder when we'd meet
my dad said "when you're dead you're dead"
my mother disagreed
i said "when i die my only ghost is for our neighbor joe
otherwise i'm staying gone when i go"
i hated joe
he had a daughter though
and i would carve her name on the creek stones
i was hunting raccoons in the wax moon
and she came to me one day before the dawn
she said "hold me"
she said she couldn't sleep
she said she had a vision where she lay
in the low weeds of the dry creek
and her naked body was covered with snakes
"that's how i'll die" she said
and i said "i'd be glad to die with you that way any day"
and when i die my only ghost is for your daddy joe
otherwise i'm staying gone when i go
i swear to god my only ghost is for you joe
otherwise i'm staying gone when i go