My friend tells me <br />a man in my house jumped off the roof <br />the roof is the eighth floor of this building <br />the roof door was locked how did he manage? <br />his girlfriend had said goodbye I'm leaving <br />he was 22 <br />his mother and father were hurrying <br />at that very moment <br />from upstate to help him move out of Brooklyn <br />they had heard about the girl <br /> <br />the people who usually look up <br />and call jump jump did not see him <br />the life savers who creep around the back staircases <br />and reach the roof's edge just in time <br />never got their chance he meant it he wanted <br />only one person to know <br /> <br />did he imagine that she would grieve <br />all her young life away tell everyone <br />this boy I kind of lived with last year <br />he died on account of me <br /> <br />my friend was not interested he said you're always <br />inventing stuff what I want to know how could he throw <br />his life away how do these guys do it <br />just like that and here I am fighting this <br />ferocious insane vindictive virus day and <br />night day and night and for what? for only <br />one thing this life this life<br /><br />Grace Paley<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/this-life-2/
