Old Crow Charlie

One night, he woke me coughing so hard in his bedroom below that I almost called 911. It just went on and on. At one point I thought I even heard him crying. But it all finally let up after about an hour. So I went back to sleep.

Got up the next morning and made coffee. He came hobbling into the kitchen with a grin like he'd just robbed a clam of all its pearls.

He had a bottle.

"Aint no way that Meryl Haggard aint a damn god."

His eyes were so red he looked part demon. He dug through the fridge for some cold venison, mumbling that he missed his wife more than his mother. He headed back toward his room, but then turned in the doorway before entering and toasted the heavy air.

"But not more than this."

in a nightmare

bibles stacked so high

they fall and crush me