Valerie

hey, you! got a cigarette?

the woman was barley visible in the night.

only got one left, i shouted down from my balcony

i'm Valerie, she said.

i did not reply.

just got out here from Florida.

left my husband and everything, she kept on going

he's a pro golfer, you know... on the PGA tour and all...

i can't tell you his name.

why in the hell would you leave him, i asked?

this psychic told me to leave him.

you know, i used to be a model.

in the darkness, i had to take her word for it.

but then i got this illness that made me fat,

and then this dog bit my face real bad.

once again, i had to take her word for it.

i'm gonna be a famous actress out here in six months.

is that what the psychic told you?

that's what she told me... but,hey, i could really use a cigarette.

i threw my last cigarette down in the dark.

hey Valerie, i said, stop by after you become famous.

will do, she said, and i saw the glowing tip of the cigarette

gently bounce down the street.

six months have passed,

and i'm still waiting for Valerie to stop by.