Wisdom Pain Killer II

Jackson Biddle flew in from Denver and was staying at the Soloman Hotel. He Came into town for some obligation and was now hanging around waiting for his next move. He boarded a train close to the hotel hoping to ride for a while and then find a bar. It was close to night but he wasn't sure exactly what time it was.

He sat down by a window hoping he could ride for some time without anyone sitting next to him. Jackson sat with an obscure Dylan song running through his head and looked around. It was dark enough now outside for him to see his reflection in the train window. Above his head he could see a black button. He couldn't find any explanation of the button but it was, he thought, large enough to warrant some kind of title. He looked all over and as far as he could see there were no other large black buttons anywhere. The button made him nervous. He wanted to push it but knew that he never would.

Soon after the button discovery Jackson Biddle got off the train and found a bar. He ordered a whiskey on the rocks and lit a pipe. He tried to play darts bu the board was crowded with people and he was all but ignored. He sat at the bar, ordering whiskey and smoking pipes, and stared at the severed head of a wild boar. He was there for a while and then he got back on the train.

The symbol of chinatown was set on the smoke
& The ones who should know were caught up in toke
evergreen afghans and weird terms as joke
english man bar hopper blurts out the bloke
the sheets of the night time were set out to soak
exercise balls and the sweet words of goat
who went out absent with perc pipes and coke
all of the others on the river left float
but not without chains and large river moat
to surround the castle of baltimore gloat
leave not the ashcans and leave not a note

Wisdom Pain Killer I

Jackson Biddle left his hotel room and walked out onto the street. He felt fairly comfortable leaving the room behind, the Soloman hotel had a pretty good reputation and he thought they could take care of her. It wasn't much any way just a bed, some sheets, a toilet, and a bible. He didn't even know why he was thinking about it so much. He really didn't care. Jack didn't know where he was going. It was just getting light, it was cold and a sleet hit the air. It was an altogether miserable day for a stroll in the city. Jack was wet, a little tired and his teeth hurt for no apparent reason. He ducked inside the emergency entrance of the University Hosipital because he thought it might be warm and he had to use the bathroom.

Jack was caught staring at an open drug closet. He wasn't looking at the open closet because he wanted to steal somethig has was just genuinly interested to see what they had. The nurse thought he was some x-head of one kind or another so Jack made up a story about an uncle with cancer staying at the hosiptal. Nurse showed Jack where the cancer wing was and Jack left heading that way.

He actually did go to the cancer wing. He went partly becasue he didn't want the nurse to think he was lying and partly because he thought he would probably get cancer at some point and wanted to do some research - see what he was in for. He was walking along fake checking for his non-uncle half looking into the rooms rating in his head which ones were he worst. While walking he heard a man's voice asking for some help in a feelble tone. Jack went in to see what was going on.

The floor had a puddle of blood next to an old man lying down trying to flex a muscle that didn't work so he could get up. Jack went over to the guy, helped him to his feet, and walked him back to his bed.
"Do you know who I am?" The man asked as he settled under the thin comforter.
"Yeah. You're Chinofski the writer. I read your stuff. Saw a documentary about you in New England once. You ever see that one about yourself?"
"Would you have helped me up if you didn't know who I was?"
"Of course not."