The Ear Hustler - Issue 3

the hotel restaurant and put a frozen bag of mixed vegetables on it.

She said it always did the trick and should make the black eye go away in about three or four weeks. I told her what happened and she gave me a cup of coffee on the house, and then one to go. The free coffee, not having to pay the five bucks, and her pretty eyes were worth the slug in the face. Made me look tough, too, after I got to look in the mirror upstairs. If anyone asks me at home how I got it, I’ll tell them I fell out of the plane.

August 17, Zurich I wrote a few more poems last night. They are called “My Black Eye”; “My Dime Sized Bald Spot”; “Al Walks into the Wrong Alley” (narrative poem); and “The Girl with the Frozen Mixed Vegetables” (love poem).

Same day (see above) Airport---Zurich My last morning in Italy and Switzerland… I said bye to the girl at the desk and vowed to return next year without a black eye and show her all my poems. She said it would be wonderful to see them. I kind of backed away from her, smiling as I left, not wanting her to get a peek at my new bald spot and change her mind about me. Anyway, I’m only twenty-five, so it will probably grow back by next year. Could be a jet lag side effect or something.

I took the long walk to the airport and bought two candy bars to -17-