Pop-A-Top

Hey, pop-a-top Joe!
Yeah, it's me, Bobbie.
God, it's been so long,
and I just had to call.
What's it been…twenty years now?
Jeez, time fly's.

Twenty years.
That's a long time, Joe.
Where's it go?
I sure don't know.
Do you?
Twenty years.
Twenty years since we were last together.
Long time, Joe.

Hey, you remember Mary Lou?
Old "va-va-voom Mary Lou,
I'd like to fondle you?"
Man, that was some split,
wasn't it?
Hey, you'll never guess who she married.
Roger Morgan.
I swear, Joe, Roger Morgan.
Old snoozle nose himself.
And I hear he's rich now.
Some kind of stock killing.
But, are they a pair, or what?

Hey, pop-a-top baby!
You remember when we were kids
and we climbed that crane that was laying beams
for the old Brooks Canal Bridge?
Remember how we climbed to the top?
My knee's were knocking so hard
by the time we reached the upper pulley,
that I didn't think I could ever climb back down.
And you, you ass,
you go and hang from the top by your knee's,
and flap your arm's in the wind.
I never did know if you were the bravest,
or craziest person I knew,
and I still toss those two around.

Then there was high school,
where we flushed the cherry bombs down the toilet,
from the third floor…
My butt still ache's from the beaten I got for that!
And you know,
I finally found out it was Carl Fister that ratted on us.
Yeah.
Carl Fister.
I ran into him at Oak Leaf Mall a year or two back.
He told me.
He said he was taking a **** at the time.
Jerkin' off I bet.
Everyone knew he jerked off every chance he got.

Yeah.
Yeah, Joe.
Twenty years is a long time.
I mean, a really long time to be away from friends.
And all the fun you and I had.
And all the senior girls we had.
Man, we had some times, huh?

Then we went to Nam.
Then world became napalm,
agent orange,
punje sticks dipped in ****,
children blowing up our buddies with grenades,
dead bodies,
pieces of bodies,
death.
And death.

Joe, I married Becky, Joe.
I take good care of her, Joe.
I mean, I know you two had a thing going,
but you left, Joe.
I mean, I provide real good for her,
and I don't beat her,
or run around on her,
or any of those things, Joe.
And we have kids, two of them,
a boy and a girl, Joe.
And I love her, Joe.
I mean, I really love her.
And I hope you're not mad, Joe.
I mean, because I married Becky.

Hey, pop-a-top man!
I left a cold one for you at the cemetery.
Yeah, I was there.
Yesterday.
I left a cold one for you.
And some tears.
And a whole great big chunk of me.

Twenty years, Joe.
And I still cry.
And I still hurt.
And I still miss my twin brother.
God, Joe.
I wish I had stepped on that mine with you.

Pop-a-top, Joe.
Pop-a-top.
Maybe I'll call again.
Someday.
Maybe.
Just maybe.

Hey, pop-a-top, brother.

W. James Beard, Jr.