She Was A Strange Girl

by Mike Meraz

 

she was a strange girl

who lived in my building

when I lived in Whittier.

she was mentally challenged

or something like that.

I think she had the hots for me

(I always attract the peculiar ones)

because one night

about eleven-thirty pm

she came to my door.

 

"yeah, who is it?" I asked.

"do you have a screw driver I can borrow?"

she said.

"who is this?" I asked.

"um, it's Martha, I live a couple doors down the hall."

"no, I don't have a screw driver you can borrow."

"can I come in anyway?"

"why?"

"I want to talk to you."

"no, I'm going to bed now."

then she walked away.

 

a couple of days later

I saw her in the hall.

I tried to avoid her

but she abruptly came up to me anyway.

"can you take me to Pomona?"

"no, I don't know where Pomona is."

"oh, it's right up the 605 then down the 60.

it's not that far. I'll give you directions."

"no, I'm sorry, I can't take you to Pomona.

maybe you could ask someone else."

"but I've already asked everyone else, no one will take me."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

then she put her head down

and walked away.

 

a couple of weeks past.

I didn't see her for a while.

she must have made it to Pomona.

 

then one night I was coming home late

about two-thirty am.

I opened the front door of my building

and there she was lying on the floor,

in the dark, next to the stairwell,

moaning and groaning-

"ooo, ahhh, ohhh, mmm."

I closed the door quietly

and walked slowly up the stairs.

"hey," she whispered, "hey."

I walked faster up the stairs to my room.

"hey!" she shouted, "come back here!"

I closed the door to my room.

a couple of minutes later I heard a knock.

"what?!" I exclaimed.

"um, it's Martha, I just wanted to know if I could talk to you."

"no, it's late, I have to go to bed."

"just for a sec?"

"why?"

"I have something I want to give you."

"what is it?" I asked.

"I want to give you my body."

"look, please leave me alone."

I heard a heavy sigh

and then I heard her walk away.

 

I never saw her again after that.

I think I pushed her off for good.

she must have been lonely,

but we all have our dark days

and I don't think we should bother others

with our loneliness.

the last thing I heard she was kicked out.

she bothered the other tenants too.

I was not the only one.

but I don't remember any of them.

I guess she got my attention after all.

 

Mike Meraz is a poet from Los Angeles who currently lives in New Orleans. He is the author of two books of poetry Black-Listed Poems and All Beautiful Things Travel Alone. Both are available at Lulu.com and Amazon.com. He is also the editor of Black-Listed Magazine. One of his favorite words is "fiasco" which, in his mind, is a comedic version of tragedy, which can be quite interesting.