I knew it was on Bleecker Street
I knew it was called The Culture Project
but did not know the number
of the building.

I walked
in the slowly escalating rain drizzle-fall
form Bowery
to 8th Ave,
and did not find
a place I thought might be
the venue.

I walked back to Bowery,
made a call on the payphone,
found out that
The Culture Project was
45 Bleecker Street
a building I had passed
twice.

They were supposedly having a benefit for Youth Speaks from 4-6,
(and then the slam would begin).

It was about 5 o’clock.
The guy at the door told me
I needed seven dollars to get in.
I had no more
than one fifty
plus a few pennies
all of which I needed
for the ride back home.

He said sorry,
you know how it is man,
he said to
stop back later
if I could scrounge something up.

My jacket soaked
my pant legs soaked
my shoes soaked

I entertained the idea
of robbing the cash register at Tower Records on Lafayette
I thought maybe if I stared intensely enough at the cashier
and made funny sounds with my throat
he’d hand the money over for sure.
I laughed out loud at the thought
and some guy laughed loudly at my face
with his beady eyes
and jutting yellow sharp teeth.

In his honor,
I decided to take a shit in the restroom at McDonalds by St. Mark’s
walked back down Lafayette
ran into Anna, Kelsey and her mom on the way.

They paid for my entrance
it was a good reading
a hardy day.