The two-column story at the top of the page
says last week, in Riverdale, on a night when it rained,
a man dressed in black was knocking on doors,
behaving quite strangely and making strange claims.
Police were called; they came right away.
Evenin', they said, and they asked him his name.
He told them “Tre Price” and they looked at each other;
the ID he carried said “Charles Vincent White.”
Well, said the deputies, Tre or Charles, whichever is right,
how come you’re out here on such a bad night?
Knocking on doors, making odd claims.
People called us, complaining,
nice people, Tre-Charles,
and it’s late and it’s raining.
The two-column story at the top of the page
says “Tre Price” is an alias;
Charles White is his name
and that night he was knocking
on Riverdale doors by the dozen
to be near a TV,
to watch “Wheel of Fortune”
and see Vanna, his cousin.
Fourth cousin, really, but Charles knew the plan;
how the world would soon learn
he was part of her clan.
It would be on TV.
Letters would turn in her manicured hand,
revealing the message as only she can.
They thought he was drunk.
They thought he was high.
They thought Tre/Charles
might be out of his mind.
Now the Riverdale lock-up
is where he resides.
Man comes to your door;
says, sometimes,
I can’t take the pain.
Sometimes I need somewhere
to go when it rains.
I need someone,
sometimes,
to know I have a name.
That’s a one-column story.
Bottom of the page.
And that would be crazy.
It would just be insane.