We Thought He Was Dead

He was my roommate
way back in college
not a bad guy to live with
didn't pig the place out
paid his share of the rent on time
and when we didn't have any money
he'd strool down to the grocery store
and slip a five pounder
of frozen shrimp
down his pants
so we could eat.

One night
at a party
we were all stoned
cool hippies
and he was there
drinking tequila
from the bottle
finished off the fifth
and was about as bleary
as you can get
and still be upright.

He started swaying
a little too much
and ended up
doing a header off the porch
onto the concrete sidewalk
three steps down
where he lay
as still as stone.

We thought
he was dead.

There's nothing pretty about
being a teenager in college,
and as we talked about what to do
images of cops and crime scenes sprinkled
themselves across our faces.

So having decided
his demise was inconvenient
for the rest of us
we got ahold of his arms and legs
and carried the body across to the vacant lot
all the while
believing it was his fault
for being a stupid drunk.

Later,
while watching that new
saturday night live show
he wandered back in
and started drinking beer
out of the fridge
like nothing had happened
which was they way
the rest of us handled it too.