Harry Dean Stanton

It was hot outside
I was working at the Grill in Beverly Hills
After work I slid up to the bar at Dan Tana’s and ordered a beer
Harry Dean Stanton was there drinking me one for one
He drank silent like me
I said, you must hear this all the time
So I’m reluctant to tell you
But Paris, Texas is one hell of a film
And you’re great
Yeah.
Did you hear me?
Yeah, I hear you
He said it like I had found out he fucked his sister
But then
I ordered us both a round
And he looked into my eyes
Grateful
That someone had bought him a drink
“What was your name, dear?”
I told him
“Thank you for what you said before, sorry I’m such a prick.”
No problem, I’m a prick too
That made Harry Dean laugh like he’d found his hero
Me, Harry Dean’s hero
I told him some mean ass stories about how I was torturing my boyfriend
But this one deserved it
I told him about getting run off the 101 freeway
And then he knew I was telling the truth
When I showed him the papers from jail
And he asked me if he could help by calling the house
I said yes, it might just do him in
He keeps threatening suicide after the meth wears off
He agreed to take my number and call a bunch
And we laughed some more
Some other guy
A guy I didn’t even know, but wanted to
Walked by and handed me a bindle of coke
“Help yourself. Just don’t be a pig,” he said
The bartender thought I was a good girl
And gave me hatred eyes, like don’t do coke
You’re mine
But I gave a look back
One that said, who the fuck are you?
We’re friends like this
I pay you for drinks, but mostly they are free
Because you think we might fuck
But it doesn’t mean shit
So I slid off the stool and went to the can to
“not be a pig about the coke”
Then, I came back and Harry was crying
Telling me he loved me
“You don’t love me, you’re drunk.”
Okay, I remember, he said
Looking for love in my eyes but only finding weakness
I put my arm around him and said
It happened to me too last night, I forgot who I loved
And then I ordered two more drinks
To help us remember
Who we really were

Lisadouglass