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Hungery Anythig Will Help

by Ryan Havely


They tried an hour
to revive him, but the rain
fell like an empire,
like some whole world
had tipped on its side
and spilled into ours.
We didn’t hit him.
We hit the people
who hit him, their car.
Who’s going to pay for this,
he asked. We’re going to miss
the show, she said. 
The paramedics pushed
on his chest and breathed
into his mouth. He died
right there in a puddle,
raindrops breaking like eggs
against his open eyes.
The man who hit him asked
How long will this take?
My wife put her dollar
back in her purse. The rain
had shredded the cardboard
sign he’d been holding,
so in pieces it rushed off
across the street
and into the river.
 
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Ryan Havely earned an MFA from Minnesota State after a BA from Ohio University. He worked as a college professor for a decade before selling his soul and jumping into marketing. His work is found in Pebble Lake Review, Midwestern Gothic, Mainstreet Rag, and others.