"( Note:Catnipsmellslikemarijuanawhen it
burns.Frequentlypassedontheincautiousorunin-
structed. )
"Well,"Isaid,tappingmyarm,"dutycalls.Asone
judge saidto another:'Be justand ifyou can'tbe just,
be arbitrary.' "
Icutintothe automatand thereis BillGains huddled
insomeoneelse'sovercoatlookinglikea1910banker
withparesis,andOldBart,shabbyandinconspicuous,
dunkingpoundcakewithhisdirtyfingers,shinyover
the dirt.
IhadsomeuptowncustomersBilltookcareof,and
Bartknewafewoldrelicsfromhopsmokingtimes,
spectraljanitors,greyasashes,phantomporters sweep-
ingoutdustyhallswithaslowold man'shand, cough-
ingandspittingin thejunk-sick dawn,retired asthmatic
fencesintheatricalhotels,PantoponRosetheold
madamfromPeoria,stoicalChinesewaitersnevershow
sickness.Bartsoughtthemoutwithhis oldjunky walk,
patient and cautious and slow, dropped intotheir blood-
less hands a few hours of warmth.
Imade theround withhim oncefor kicks.You know
howoldpeopleloseallshameabout eating,and it
makesyoupuketowatchthem?Oldjunkiesare the
same about junk. They gibber and squealat sightof it.
The spit hangs off their chin, and theirstomach rumbles
and all their guts grind inperistalsis whilethey cook
up,dissolving thebody's decentskin, youexpect any
momentagreat blobof protoplasmwill Hopright out
and surround the junk. Really disgust you to see it.
"Well, my boys will belike thatone day,"I thought
philosophically. "Isn't life peculiar?"
SobackdowntownbytheSheridanSquareStation
in case the dick is lurking in a broom closet.
Like I say it couldn't last. I knew they were out there
powowingandmakingtheirevilfuzzmagic,putting
dolls of me in Leavenworth. "Nouse stickingneedles in
that one, Mike."
I hear theygot Chapinwith adoll. Thisold eunuch
dick just sat in the precinct basement hanging adoll of
himday andnight, yearin yearout. Andwhen Chapin
hanged in Connecticut, they find this old creepwith his
neck broken.
"He fell downstairs," theysay. Youknow theold cop
bullshit.
Junkissurroundedby magicand taboos,curses and
amulets.IcouldfindmyMexicoCityconnectionby
radar.
Junkissurroundedby magicand taboos,curses and
amulets.IcouldfindmyMexicoCityconnectionby
radar. "Not this street, the next, right... now left. Now
right again," and there he is,toothless oldwoman face
and cancelled eyes.
Iknowthisonepusherwalksaroundhumminga
tune and everybody hepasses takesit up.He isso grey
andspectralandanonymoustheydon'tseehimand
thinkitistheirownmindhummingthe tune.So the
customerscomeinon Smiles,or I'min the1Mood for
Love,orTheySayWe'reTooYoungtoGoSteady, or
whatever the songis forthat day.Sometime youcan see
maybefifty ratty-lookingjunkies squealingsick, running
alongbehindaboy witha harmonica,and thereis The
Manona caneseat throwingbread tothe swans,a fat
queendragwalkinghisAfghanhoundthroughthe East
Fifties, an old wino pissing against an El post,a radical
Jewish studentgiving outleaflets inWashington Square,
a tree surgeon,an exterminator,an advertisingfruit in
Nedick'swherehecallsthecountermanbyhisfirst
name.Theworldnetworkofjunkies,tunedona cord
of rancid jissom,tying upin furnishedrooms, shivering
inthejunk-sick morning.(Old Petemen suckthe black
smokeintheChinklaundrybackroomandMelancholy
Baby dies froman overdoseof timeor coldturkey with-
drawalofbreath.)InYemen,Paris, NewOrleans, Mex-
ico Cityand Istanbul-- shiveringunder theair hammers
andthesteamshovels,shriekedjunkycursesatone
anotherneitherofusheard,andTheManleaned out
of a passing steam roller and I coped ina bucketof tar.
(Note:Istanbulisbeingtorndown andrebuilt, espe-
ciallyshabbyjunkquarters.Istanbulhasmore heroin
junkiesthanNYC.) Theliving andthe dead,in sick-
nessoronthe nod,hooked orkicked orhooked again,
comeinonthe junkbeam andthe Connectionis eating
ChopSueyonDoloresStreet,MexicoD.F.,dunking
poundcakeintheautomat,chasedupExchangePlace
byabayingpackofPeople.(Note:PeopleisNew
Orleans slang for narcotic fuzz. )
TheoldChinamandipsriverwaterinto arusty tin
can, washesdown ayen poxhard andblack asa cinder.
( Note: Yen pox is the ash of smoked opium. )
Well,thefuzzhas myspoon anddropper, andI know
theyarecominginonmy frequencyled bythis blind
pigeonknownasWillytheDisk.