A Following

the phone rang at 1:30 a.m.

 and it was a man from Denver:

  "Chinaski, you got a following in

 Denver…"

   "yeah?"

  "yeah, I got a magazine and I want some

 poems from you…"

   "FUCK YOU, CHINASKI!" I heard a voice

 in the background…

  "I see you have a friend,"

 I said.

  "yeah," he answered, "now, I want

 six poems…"

   "CHINASKI SUCKS! CHINASKI'S A PRICK!"

 I heard the other

 voice.

   "you fellows been drinking?"

 I asked.

   "so what?" he answered. "you drink."

   "that's true…"

  "CHINASKI'S AN ASSHOLE!"

   then

 the editor of the magazine gave me the

 address and I copied it down on the back

 of an envelope.

   "send us some poems now…"

   "I'll see what I can do…"

  "CHINASKI WRITES SHIT!"

  "goodbye," I said.

  "goodbye," said the

 editor.

   I hung up.

   there are certainly any number of lonely

 people without much to do with

 their nights.