Hello

The shrink and Buck’s family told him he was too shy and withdrawn, so he must start saying hello to people he sees everyday on his walk to work.

Hello, and the girl in the miniskirt pulls her hem down two inches and walks faster.

Hello, and the beat cop swings his baton at Buck and tells him to move along.

Hello, and the city workers make disparaging remarks about Buck’s sexual orientation and his mother.

Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello.

At the end of the day, Buck looks in the mirror in his apartment and says “goodbye, goodbye”.”

Edward Michael Supranowicz is the grandson of Irish and Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He has a grad background in painting and printmaking. Some of his artwork has recently or will soon appear in Fish Food, Streetlight, Another Chicago Magazine, The Door Is a Jar, The Phoenix, and other journals. Edward is also a published poet.