i used to steal…
baseball cap souvenirs
from Telluride, Taos and Alta
because of the rush.
i used to steal…
mechanical pencils – replace-
ment lead and erasers – by Pentel
from the university bookstore
because i was a punk college student.
i used to steal…
belts
from Macy’s and Abercrombie and Shit
because there are plenty of people willing to pay $50
for something that costs $5 to make.
i used to steal…
trail mix from Safeway bulk bins
and canned albacore tuna in water
because i was unemployed and hungry.
i used to steal…
Odwalla protein drinks and Tom’s toothpaste
from the upscale, health-food market
where i used to work
because the owner paid us $7/hr. while charging $38
for a jar of honey. He would blow up our asses:
“You’re the heart and soul of this company.”
i used to make excuses
about why
i used to steal.
i used to steal
because i was a thief.
i’m still a thief…
i just don’t steal anymore.
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Brad Bisio has lived in New York and California and places in between where he has worked numerous jobs to support his writing and musical habits such as at a lumberyard, a glue factory and as a house painter. He played in a band while living in Colorado and performed as a solo artist in San Francisco. He has recent work in Mad Swirl, Word Riot, Dogzplot, Boston Literary Magazine, Spot Literary Magazine and Gutter Eloquence. He won the Advisor’s Award for the story, “Still No One, but Returning Different” published in Toyon. He teaches Adult Education at Nashville State Community College.
