......by Richard Koss
Harvey was an old panhandler, a petty thief, and a wino. He was a nondescript, voluntary member of the "Homeless" who found his own shelter and refuge in abandoned buildings. This morning Harvey woke up on the leather couch in the sixth floor lounge of the old Parker building. He liked that old couch and spent many a night on it. He also liked the sixth floor because of the lake breeze that whistled through the broken windows in the early morning hours of those hot summer months.
Lighting up one of his last three cigarettes, he paused to listen to what sounded like voices echoing over a screeching P.A. system not too far away. Cautiously, he moved towards a window, being very careful not to be seen. He didn't want to kill a good thing by letting anyone know he was using this dump for a hotel. For some reason the word was out that this place was off limits - taboo.
Since he began coming here over a year ago, he had yet to run into any competition, which was just fine with him.
Harvey leaned up against the south wall and peered through the corner of a partially boarded window. About two hundred yards away he saw at least 300 people gathered around what appeared to be a few dignitaries standing on a podium. One of them was speaking but he was too far away to be heard. Must be some kind of dedication ceremony he thought. Squinting out at the distant crowd, he could see no new buildings or ground breaking sights, only vacant lots and a few old buildings like this one.
Although his eyes were old and tired, he could still see several large signs with the bright orange letters D-O-Y-L-E. Harvey was not familiar with that name and he could care less who the hell Doyle was. No longer curious, he walked away from the window and plopped himself down on the old couch. Just then, the lake breeze kicked up again and an advertising leaflet flew in through a broken window.
The flyer fluttered around and finally came to rest upon the old man's chest - perhaps a little too
late. As he picked the leaflet off his chest, Harvey's eyes filled with terror and he felt the incredible, deafening BOOM!!! For In that miniscule moment before his soul left his body, Harvey was able to read the words printed on the leaflet:
DOYLE BROTHERS - DEMOLITION SPECIALISTS
.....By Richard Koss
An old panhandler, a wino and petty thief;
His current address was an old downtown rendition
This morning he awakened to voices and applause,
Dedication? ground-breaking? What ceremony could this be?
It was some kind of leaflet blown in through the window.
The Last Tenant
thus summed up Harvey, to be honest and brief.
A charter member of the "homeless" society,
he found his own shelter, refuge, variety.
where he found comfort and solace and no competition.
From the sixth floor he surveyed, looking down like the Pope,
in a palace "off limits," said the grapevine of lost hope.
so curiously he rose up to witness their cause.
Unheard and unseen, to an un-boarded window he went.
Peering out he saw people, attending an event.
With eyes old and tired he tried, but Harvey couldn't see.
So he went back to his "suite," eager to resume his rest
and as he lie there a piece of paper landed on his chest.
For a split second he read it, then murmured an "oh oh."
As a deafening BOOM! sparked his soul's final mission.
For the leaflet said: DOYLE BROTHERS - BUILDING DEMOLITION.