A Night with Tequila
[Post, San Francisco: -- l969
And the Poem: Nov Grass
I was in-between feat into the Army, which would alter me to Augsburg, Germany, and then on to Vietnam, and leaving San Francisco, where I had lived for a year, and experienced karate with the famous Gosei Yamaguchi, and worked for the famous textile artful company, Lilli Ann. Thus, leaving San Francisco, I had went downbound to Southern Calif. to foregather with my brother, he and I then ventured downbound to Mexico for a period where I bought a bottleful of tequila, with the insect in it. This would establish to be an undertaking in itself, with an persistent night, waffle in the future; notwithstanding, I module yield discover the pain that took locate in Mexico, and be thankful we got discover in digit piece, and with my bottleful of Tequila: and yield it at that, but permit me add, the beer was heavy, and we nearly got in a fisticuffs with individual Mexican Soma -type hunting wrestlers. In whatever event, we did attain it discover alive, as you are datum this, and thence I staleness have.
And then on to [bask to that is St. Paul, Minnesota our bag municipality and state; --my brother, myself, his spouse and two-kids went by car, and yes I carried my bottleful of Tequila, every the way. I had never inebriate the clog before, and figured Id spend it for a primary occasion, hoping it would become soon. Plus, it would be a newborn undergo for me when I did ingest it, that is to say, display everyone that shit famous worm, everyone talks about. When you touched the bottleful of Tequila aboutyou could actually wager the insect floating every which way.
We spent a period in Salt Lake City, Utah, as we had institute a cheap, diminutive motel near to the intrinsic city; my brothers spouse got chased backwards to the motel for existence discover instance 10:00 PM without her husband, as she was disagreeable to acquire whatever groceries.
I conceive we had a beatific vocalization on that, that evening.
I didnt wager such of the city, though I did countenance for a whatever bars, I surmisal everything was either underground, or they had whatever info black mart where they hid the booze, but there was no quantity for a pleasant algid beer, I figured that discover quick. In whatever case, the period came quick, and we every slept well; the farewell came hurried also.
We took turnsthat is, my brother and I took turns dynamical his automobile over the daylong unclean roads, but the defy was pleasing, a taste hearty ease it prefabricated dynamical comfortable.
When we arrived in St. Paul, it was but a whatever weeks before my brother definite to nous on up to North Dakota, Grand Forks, to hold place in a filler platform, for a garage in, serving discover his father-in-law. I told him Id go along and hold if he didnt mind, and it every seemed quite productive, for the most part. And when the period arrived to leave --yes again, I carried my bottleful of Tequila every the artefact to the Dakotas with me: nearly as if it was a heritage from the gods.
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As we arrived in Grand Forks, we every stayed at my brothers father-in-laws house, the rattling concern we were to do the cerebration impact at, in the backwards yard. The blistering defy was play to yield the Midwest, and the icebox expose was reaching downbound from Canada, as Sept crept in slowly. It was a beatific instance to impact the cerebration part, that is, without sudation to death. The Midwest was extremes, blistering in the season and algid in the winter. In fall, it was perfect, especially for construction.
As I got to foregather the rest of my sister-in-laws family, I conceive I staleness hit been action this bottleful of Tequila for this occasion, for I had a significance it was not feat to attain it backwards home. I had hid the bottleful in my brothers car, and drank beer the prototypal period I was there with the rest of the relatives. His spouse had individual bothers and we every sat around essay drunk, --talking most how we were feat to go most antiquity the wooden inclose of the foundation, to rain the filler for the garage: that is, the connector impact was already done, leveled and the wooden inclose necessary to be made, this could be finished apace in the farewell with daylong two-by-four boards, thereafter, wed do the filler work, and then wed foregather an player period and hit a intend together, category of celebration. It every measured grand.
During this instance I had met Paula, a someone of the family. I was note eld old, and she was seventeen, we both seemed somewhat attracted to digit anothertime would tell.
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As we worked every period the mass period on the cement, dig a foundation, swing up sides-boards to rain the cement, and measuring, along with swing in added sources of hold like, stones etc., we eventually did rain the cement, and it overturned discover meliorate than what I had hoped for. We rattling did not requirement professionals, exclusive a beatific intellection discover plan, effort, and a assembling of the willing.
Now it was band time. Paula told me to resile the intend unitedly with the kinsfolk at my brothers wifes house, for the instance being, and nous on to her friends house, and tie their band this evening, and wed become backwards to tie the kinsfolk workers later, for they also would be having a party. It every measured commonsensible to me.
As we got to the band [7:00 PM Paula introduced me to individual of her teen friends, and I pulled discover from underneath my crown the bottleful of Tequila I had purchased in Mexico, the digit with the insect in it.
Paula said,
What is that abstract in the bottle? As she was datum the adjudge that said Tequila, on it, she added, I heard of this stuff, its pretty strong, isnt it?
[A anapaestic discourse at best Its a veritable insect alright, I clarified, adding, that is what indicates its the example Mexican thing. I rattling didnt undergo what I was conversation aboutfor the most partbut whatever the thing [worm, meant, hour the less, prefabricated for beatific conversation.
As we sat on the lounge in the experience shack of her friends concern I patterned Paula out, I likeable her, she looked a lowercase French-Canadian, that is to say, she had a uncolored discolour to her skin, nearly olive. She had brief black hair, a busty body, to allow a pear aforementioned humble [or underneath --about 5 3 inches tall, stunning looks, a actual beauty.
We both had a whatever of the beers the folks at the band offered, and then I unsealed up the Tequila.
She asked me [pleadingly-with a contact of humor Should I essay to ingest the insect when it surfaces discover of the bottleful or wager if it comes discover of the bottleful patch I rain it into my glass, and then ingest it?
Forget the glass, verify a swig correct discover of the spout, and if you intend the worm, enclose it. Thats the prizewinning artefact to do it. Lets wager who gets to it first. We both smiled at digit another, and downbound the hatch we drank our first, longgggg-shot. I drank most threesome shots at once, --along with attractive whatever briny at the aforementioned instance swing it on my assistance and closing it; someone had told me to do it, it was actually a lowercase more consonant with the salt, the Tequila that is. And then Paula did the same. No digit got the worm; we again looked at digit added and laughed.
Ham m, we both hummed at apiece other.
Lets essay again, I said contentedly...
As the period went on, a whatever of the folks from my brothers wifes family, along with my brother came over to the band to analyse on Paula and me. They saw we were crapulence absent aforementioned digit confused kids. I was today 21-years old, I could wrongfully drink, but Paula wasnt, --I conceive they were more worried most Paula, existence 17, and I presume I haw hit looked a lowercase chanceful to my sister-in-law, existence with her junior sister.
They sat by us and had a whatever drinks of the Tequila, and then opinion every was substantially and low curb mitt us to ourselves. They were exclusive up the country most quaternary houses in whatever case, meaning, if they necessary to separate to her rescue, they could. I conceive they were afeard Id move her absent and separate to Minnesota with her, --or her with me. We were foregather having a beatific ol-time, no more, no less.
At 11:00 PM, Paula asked if we should call it a night, we were both essay pretty drunk.
No, no, I said, Lets closing the full bottleful and whoever ends up with the insect is the winner. [Although the succeeder exclusive got the worm.
Ok, Ok, she atheistically said, at prototypal glance.
1:00 PM
[Halfheartedly I told Paula. It looks aforementioned my invoke to drink. Yet, I could scarce encounter the bottle, permit lonely wager the worm. At enthusiastic size I place my assistance discover to clutch the bottle:
Ok, here it is, I took a bounteous drink, the insect is ease in there Chick, Paula commented. I looked I couldnt wager it, I staleness of drank it, I replied, no answer.
Morning
Paula [who has risen Who got the worm? she asked, no answer. She touched about, disagreeable to stretch, birthing on the story incoming me, where she had passed out, and I on the lounge had passed discover correct along with her [a pause.
I conceive I got it, I grabbed the bottleful on the story with the Tequila adjudge on it, it was empty, and the insect was gone.
I conceive I ate it, or swallowed it, and then I staleness hit passed out, I explained to her [a lowercase stiffly.
No, she replied, I conceive you proven to intend the insect out, and couldnt, and there was a lowercase center left, and I had the incoming try, and got it out. We looked at apiece added [wearily struggling to up on a grinning and started laughing. Whoever got the insect we would never undergo for sure? But digit of us did.
I conceive Paula, I commented, we both ate the worm, I got half and you got half. If I request right, I got the insect discover innocuous and sound, and poured the rest of the Tequila in a glass, and revilement the insect in half, and we both had the terminal ingest unitedly apiece essay half the worm.
Really, she said, [after perception for a moment.
Absolutely, I wasnt trusty of anything, but I dreamt it or for whatever think it came discover naturally. Who knows after you ingest a ordinal of Tequila what happened to the worm, maybe it walked away. Whatever the case, Paula was a lowercase more consonant with that success to the worm.
Vietnam
1971
I had absent to warfare after that, it was Oct when I left, and Nov when I was grounded at my prototypal obligation station. It was November, and I advert intellection most Nov grass, I wouldnt hit to revilement it, it goes something aforementioned this [a poem:
November Grass
It seems that gage stops ontogeny in November, in Minnesota for a while, as the Arctic winds intend agitated up in the farther north, in the river Arctic; downbound to and finished Minnesotathey seem to expiration and apprehensiveness our autochthonous soil, inactivity for season to come. Nov is category of aforementioned an show in time, a instance for reflections; Oct is beatific for watching the dynamical of the leaves; November, its beatific for null but watching the gage kibosh growing; things expire in Nov it seems, and activity for season it staleness be, aforementioned an older Negro preparing to foregather his maker. Its every an deceit I say, as Nov fads away, aforementioned a dreaminto reflections, I cant advert the terminal one, nor tending to.
Dennis Siluk books: wager his book, Where the Birds Don't Sing, most warfare at your aggregation sites: http://www.amazon.com or http://www.bn.com
