Mr. Big

“So I’ve been reading about this
           police sting operation that’s legal
                      in Canada and Australia, but not here. The ... criminal  ?”

                      “The perp !” B corrects me and takes
                                a sip of  her macchiato.

“Yes! Ha! Perp ! So the perp
           brutally murdered his girlfriend and the cops
                      couldn’t pin it on him so they
                                sent in an undercover man who looked like a real
                                                                                 big-shot mafioso type ... ”

                                             “Mmhm. Mr. Big,” B nods.

“Exactly. So Mr. Big gives the perp
           a lot of important things to do, run money,
                      deliver packages, drive him around,
                                and all the while Mr. Big’s telling the perp
                                          I can’t run things without you blah blah blah ... ”

                                                                    “Mmhm. Heh.”

“Then he says to the perp, We’re taking this business
           to the next level and I want you to run the show but
                      you gotta tell me everything you ever did
                                wrong ... I mean ... ”

                                                              “Idiot.”

“Can you imagine someone showing up
           all of the sudden out of nowhere and saying,
                      You’re just the guy we’ve been looking for!
                                                                     And you believe them?!”

                                                     “No, I cannot,” B snorts, and I snort.

“Hi,” I yip too quickly at a woman walking by
           our bench. It’s rare—foot traffic at the end
                      of this long, dark, deserted hall where we’ve chosen
                                       to chat because we’re hiding from everyone who
                                               has, could, and will turn on us.

Source: Poetry (May 2020)