#10

The Office of Jim Trainer
WAR ROOM
Hippie Town, USA

David Hagysback
Around the Bend
Austin, TX

1/21/11

Salud-

Hope yr feeling stronger everyday.  I have to give it up, my health has always been ok.  I broke my 5th metatarsal playing ball and had my nose broke down the Jersey shore during what can only be called “The Never-Ending Summer of Evil Knievel”.  We all gotta die and in life I I lament that I was born good-looking instead of hard-working.  We all have our crosses to bear but thinking about all the things you could have been is a dangerous way to think.

I have a Survival Manual given to young soldiers, cadets.  I found it working as a laborer at the Armory in West Philly.  There are some real gems in there, tight little nuggets of Wisdom crafted by Psy-Ops of the war Machine.  Rest is important to soldiers.  Especially with some poor country’s crude bombs overhead and shrapnel flying.  You’ve got to keep your eyes open. 

I must have been insane when I decided to be a writer.  Either that or ignorant but ignorance I can deal with.  The cure for ignorance is a series of rude awakenings, memorable events and tragedies that rattle the brain and destroy romance.  Between ignorance and insanity, the phone’s ringing and the cops are on the highway.  Here I sit, eight hours, eight hundred cigarettes and upwards of 1100 words a day.  I get rejection letters but I’m building up an arsenal of material to send them right back.  My work becomes a rejection of the rejection letter.

Dear Editor:
I’m sorry to hear of your non-interest in my work.  Here is my work.
Starving,
JT

When I get to this point in my creation cycle its best to kiss it goodbye and head downtown.  Every time I’m at the bar, I wave or wink, say hi, to the girl who works next door at BARBS&BABES.  They/ BARBS&BABES shares a kitchen with my regular 6 street hangout.  She wears these leggings with her jean shorts.  She has long brown hair and my smile disarms her.  Every night when the bar closes, I realize that the girl is different from the night before.  In fact it’s been a different girl every night, it’s just that the off-duty attire of all the beautiful young ladies who work at BARBS&BABES is exactly the same.  Last night I came home with nothing but regret.  No news and the amateur-sport of the weekend on the horizon.

It seems that life was only fattening us for the fight.  We fought to live, fought to die in our 20’s but we were stupid then.  Stupid now, but Wiser.  And wisdom, my friend, is like finding a pearl at a clambake.  You won’t find a pearl at a clambake but its wisdom that guarantees you will never find yourself again asking “Why the fuck am I here?”.  At least, if you do, it’s your own fault.  God might forgive you but Wisdom will not.  The ugly crowd grapples over tethers and crumbs but we know, David.  We know.

Remember, we’re Kings.

yours,
jimtrainer.net
Hippie Town