Can It Down

The Words:

big block, funny, midget, fast, popeye the sailor man, pippy, long, stocking, oscar, chico, the man

**

Mama was a midget in my world. She had a habit of wearing long, silky stockings that made the girls at the restaurant titter. "Pippy! oh Pippy!" they would smirk.

"Goddamn The Man!" she would mutter funnily under her breath, "He left me nothing put a pile of these things."

Mama had a habit of doing that too. Blaming The Man. He was originally Oscar, my father, maybe. But I don't really know. I remember he would call me chico, like I belonged somehow. But I didn't.

The giant of the Big Block was what they started calling me after I turned 5. And to the women at the restaurant I was "Popeye!! Popeye the sailor man!!" Titters.

I was and am and will always be the opener of cans.