the stuck key

with the key

stuck

in the door, i look around

as if there

might be

someone nearby

to figure this out.

free my key.

maybe a locksmith

or someone

like that.

i wonder if i have

any oil

to squirt in there,

or some tools to 

jimmy it around.

but no.

then i see a kid running

up the street

win a hoodie on

and a mask with an

enormous pink purse

under his arm.

hey, i yell, out,

hey kid.

you wanna make five bucks?

he comes up to the porch

and stares at the lock.

he tells me

you have to jiggle it.

i've tried, i tell him, then

i let him have a go at it.

he opens the large pink

purse looking around for

something,

but finds nothing he can use.

so he rubs his hands together,

then puts his ear to the lock,

then jiggles it

back and forth, slowly at first,

then with a hard turn,

freeing the key.

i give him five bucks.

i hear police sirens approaching.

thanks, mister, he says,

but i have to go,

they're chasing me.