Once upon a time there was a man
who lived on the coast
until someone stole it from him.

There was a man who hummed jazz
under his breath
until his lips went cold, but kept moving.

A man who rolled up his sleeves,
reached elbows-deep into piles of trash,
and pulled out mean half-dead kittens.

Who did bad things
So that he could do the right thing
Once every ten times.

I never had a father,
but once upon a time
I saw my father's body
cold and white
on the steps of the Coliseum.