Need

I am 35 walking into a cafe
Having just driven halfway
To my night ACC teaching job
From my day job as a planner.
As I enter the cafe a large man
Sitting in a booth with a wiry
Fellow calls out to me as I
Pass by, “Want a friend,
Need a friend!” So I
Stop and say hello
And sit down by
Howard and
Jim both of
Whom are
Grinning
At me.
Over
The next
Third century
I become good
Friends with them
And a dozen more who
Congregate for breakfast
Dinner supper and all are
Friends of mine in whom
I can trust life limb my
Wife livestock and
Property as they
Are true friends
And all Texans
Who would do
Anything for
A friend
And for
Whom
I am
Even now
Sure I can rely
Upon for most anything.
Howard was a police Sargent,
Others were undertakers,
Repairmen, craftsman,
Builders, salesmen,
Policemen and all
Sorts of callings
But all were
And are my
Friends. If
I were to
Walk in
Today
They
All
Would
Whoop and
Holler who was
On my trail and how
Far had I run to go
To ground here at
The cafe and
Was I buyin’
Or were
They.