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Luisa and Buffalo Bill In memory of my grandparents, Luisa and Vito John Addiego (1993) You wouldn’t believe how his people live they sleep with the goats nothing to cover them but an old blanket which he used to carry on his head like a hobo look at him asleep with his mouth open my father was a civilized man not like his bunch when he was a barber cutting the hair in Chicago he had the run of the block those people couldn’t speak a word he used to warn me don’t marry no Calabresi they’ll cut your throat for a dime do you think I’m kidding the old man here got in a fight once can you imagine what kind of man had to use a knife he couldn’t use his hands he kicks too you gotta watch 167 168 luisa and buffalo bill you don’t get too close of course now he’s sick as a dog always sleeping they don’t know how to take care of themselves they get old and lose their spoon in the soup you know my brother caught the tuberculosis the same year that my father died I was sixteen sitting by the bed for both of them and pow they was out like the light could they sing and play of course my uncle was the one with the Irish harp at the Orpheum Theater like it was made for him the next day I was back at the leather tannery because they didn’t believe in feeling sorry I used to help with the hair Sweeping up or sometimes I’d sing the men would give me a nickel back in Omaha right after Chicago that’s when Buffalo Bill the cowboy came through in a parade with his long whiskers I was a little girl you wouldn’t believe I dragged stools on the sidewalk and sold every seat for a dime. ...

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