Dirty Dan

for Tom Disch

I never told you about Dirty Dan.
This is crazy, check this out.
                                            Wine? Okay, sure.
I can’t remember what the night was like.
It was, phssh, twenty- … seven? years ago,
before I even knew you. I was home,
from college maybe, hanging out with friends?
Christmas break, it must have been. And cold.
Too bad you never saw him. Too late now,
not just because there’s no way Dirty Dan
is still alive (he was ancient, even then),
but more because you are not, so prematurely…

So: Dan. I only saw him once. Just once.
I guess that’s part of it. It snowed that night.
(Let’s pretend that we’re both sitting around
in your living room, just telling stories.)
Now, it’s my turn, right? So - Dirty Dan.
...