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Monster Trucks and Dick's

I'm staying with friends in Auburn, New York. I love this tiny town.

I saw Harriet Tubmans house.

I saw a place that Lincoln's Secretary of State, who purchased Alaska, had lived.

There was a tiny diner, and my friend was telling me about the daughter of the owner was married to Joe Biden. We didn't eat there, but went to a tiny bar called Swaby's that was interesting. Joe (Ferrara, not Biden) said as we were walking in "This looks like stuff you'd see in Trent Reznors living room." There were skulls and animal bones everywhere. I said it was more of a Rob Zombie feel.

The day before I stayed with different friends. The guy said he'd leave me his truck. He asked, "Do you drive stick shift?" I told him I did.

I didn't realize when I went out around noon, that it was a monster truck. Some big red thing, with huge wheels. It's funny how as a kid, I thought monster trucks were the bomb. As an adult, I just think they're silly.

It took me a few minutes to climb into it. Iwished I had a ladder. I started to back up. There were neighbors trying to load a pick-up truck with a dresser. They were cursing as they were trying to fit it in. I thought about going up to help them, but they had three big, burly guys. They were fine.

As I was backing up, I kept hearing the truck make a weird noise. It felt like the brakes were on. And it sounded like a cat was being dragged under the wheels.

I kept stopping, trying to figure out what was going on. One of the neighbors came over to take a look. He laughed as he said, "These wheels are so big that when you turn, they're rubbing against the fenders."

I backed out straight.

No more noise.

I headed to strip mall to buy some gifts for a friends birthday. I saw a Dick's Sporting Goods, and remembered a friend telling me a story about being stoned as a teenager, and waking up as the car with her teenage friends pulled up into a parking lot. They all laughed upon seeing a huge, lit sign that said "Dick's" (the things teenagers find funny).

I walked into the store, and couldn't believe they had a huge section devoted to lacrosse. Someone told me, "Yeah....it's more popular on the east coast. Not as much back in California."

I bought a shirt, some racquetball gear, and headed out.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I figured out how to keep the monster wheels from making noise. But I couldn't get the stereo to stop playing the Christian CD that was in the player.

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Two poems by Marvin Bell

“To Dorothy” and “The Self and the Mulberry”

I'm staying with friends in Auburn, New York. I love this tiny town.

I saw Harriet Tubmans house.

I saw a place that Lincoln's Secretary of State, who purchased Alaska, had lived.

There was a tiny diner, and my friend was telling me about the daughter of the owner was married to Joe Biden. We didn't eat there, but went to a tiny bar called Swaby's that was interesting. Joe (Ferrara, not Biden) said as we were walking in "This looks like stuff you'd see in Trent Reznors living room." There were skulls and animal bones everywhere. I said it was more of a Rob Zombie feel.

The day before I stayed with different friends. The guy said he'd leave me his truck. He asked, "Do you drive stick shift?" I told him I did.

I didn't realize when I went out around noon, that it was a monster truck. Some big red thing, with huge wheels. It's funny how as a kid, I thought monster trucks were the bomb. As an adult, I just think they're silly.

It took me a few minutes to climb into it. Iwished I had a ladder. I started to back up. There were neighbors trying to load a pick-up truck with a dresser. They were cursing as they were trying to fit it in. I thought about going up to help them, but they had three big, burly guys. They were fine.

As I was backing up, I kept hearing the truck make a weird noise. It felt like the brakes were on. And it sounded like a cat was being dragged under the wheels.

I kept stopping, trying to figure out what was going on. One of the neighbors came over to take a look. He laughed as he said, "These wheels are so big that when you turn, they're rubbing against the fenders."

I backed out straight.

No more noise.

I headed to strip mall to buy some gifts for a friends birthday. I saw a Dick's Sporting Goods, and remembered a friend telling me a story about being stoned as a teenager, and waking up as the car with her teenage friends pulled up into a parking lot. They all laughed upon seeing a huge, lit sign that said "Dick's" (the things teenagers find funny).

I walked into the store, and couldn't believe they had a huge section devoted to lacrosse. Someone told me, "Yeah....it's more popular on the east coast. Not as much back in California."

I bought a shirt, some racquetball gear, and headed out.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I figured out how to keep the monster wheels from making noise. But I couldn't get the stereo to stop playing the Christian CD that was in the player.

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