My Trench Coat

Table of Content

I used to wear a trench coat
When I was in high school.

Black.

I wore aviator sunglasses too,
And a fedora.
I didn't want to hurt anyone--
Anyone who wasn't corrupt.
I thought that was how
A proper investigative reporter
Should dress.

I took some shit for the trench coat,
But not as much as you'd think.
It even helped me get a girlfriend--
Two years later. The memory of it.
My trench coat had sparked a crush
That could never have caught fire
In high school.

She was on the drill team.

But I never once thought of bringing
A gun to school.
That wasn't what the trench coat
Stood for.

Maybe once or twice I thought about it,
Jeff Sampson.

Sharpen your own fucking pencil, bitch.

Author

William Shunn
William Shunn

Hugo and Nebula Award nominee. Creator of Proper Manuscript Format, Spelling Bee Solver, Tylogram, and more. Banned in Canada.

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