inching

“You’ve seen some shit. We can say that. I mean let’s call it, you’ve seen it.” " Poppin’," that’s what he, A-D calls me, “Poppin’, how’s you doin’?”
“Yea,” I respond. “It’s rough but I’m focused.”
“Damn, and you has a cold on top of it?” He heard my rough voice, run down by a summer cold. Only one thing lets a man get run down by that shit, poverty of spirit.
“I’ll live. I’ll get past it. I always do.”
“You strong. You’ve seen it.” It’s the look in our eyes. We lock and know, there’s miles underneath. A-D keeps a spirit up front, floats it, survives, a rare dude in a city of sin. “Clinton’s bad these days, worse than Jay.” He lays it on me like a trooper, like a fourth, fifth duty survivor.
“I know it. I don’t give a shit, I’ll walk any street, any time. Those kids need something, need a sea change. They won’t kill just any man. They won’t kill me.”
“No poppin’, they won’t.”
“Jesus man, we gotta change somethin’ up in this. Something has to change.”
“You right. We gonna.” And A-D knows what were talkin’ here, he knows his own circumstances, he knows mine.
“You Jersey,” he adds matter-of-factly. “ I’m thinkin’ I’ll go that route, I’m thinkin’ I’ll go see my peoples there soon. My sister want me to go to Cleveland but I’m thinkin’ I need a break and see me the Jersey crew. It’s been a long time now.”
“Yea? I’ll look into it. I’ve got plans to go but they’re packed with events, openings in the city and such but that may be something, goin’ to Jersey with you. I’ll look into it.”
“OK poppin’, you cool, you’ll survive it, you’ve seen some shit, you’ll survive it.”
“T.I.R. This Is Rochester,” I respond in jest, our eyes locked like badgers. “I’ll pull through.”
“I know you will.” And it adds to something, these little talks, inching toward human.