Last Call by David Lee

death if this man hadn’t grapt me
    throwed me down in this ditch and
    put the fire out on my clothes
    so we look and the whole rig’s burning
    we can see two guys from the crew laying
    between us and the rig burning up
    we know they’s dead
    the rest of us burnt bad where we might die
    crewboss he takes off running into the fire
    we can see he’s gonna try to bring the pickup out
    he goes to it and grabs the doorhandle
    it’s so hot part of his hand
    sticks to the door and just comes off
    but he gets in and somehow
    he gets that damn truck started and drives out
    of that fire I won’t never know how
    all the wires was burnt up
    it got so hot that truck’s paint was all
    scorcht off where you couldn’t tell
    even what kind of a pickup it was
    he brings it to us and we get in
    I’m so burnt they had to put me in the back
    and I’m laying in this feller’s lap
    who put out the fire in my clothes
    we pull out of there driving like hell
    was chasing us to get to town
    and by then the fire was so hot
    it burnt up the whole goddam rig
    there wasn’t nothing left and I
    seen it bend over just like it was plastic
    I wanted to pass out so bad I couldn’t stand it
    I didn’t I just laid there and felt it all
    and saw it all
    so’s we’re racing the devil to town
    as fast as we can go and we pass this law
    he turns on his red light and chases us
    till he gets close enough to see and then
    he pulls ahead and leads us through town
    about ninety miles a hour to the hospital
    where he jumps out and runs over and opens
    the door and he just puked like hell
    three up front was arredy dead two of them
    stuck together they’s burnt so bad
    the crewboss’s hand was off
    he didn’t have no face left
    how he drove God knows I don’t
    there was only one othern still alive and
    he died that night so then they come
    to get us out of the back and they started to lift
    me out I said Get him first he saved my life
    the man says it’s too late he’s done dead
    I was laying in his lap
    onliest two that made it was me and the crewboss
    he was in the hospital for ninety six days
    and I was in for a hundred and four
    a week and a day more
    I remember cause he come to see me
    when they let him out
    he was burnt so bad I couldn’t tell
    who he was till he said something
    he ast if I’s okay and I said Yas
    we just looked at each other for a minute
    then he walked off
    I said Be seeing you, he just waved
    three days later he drove his car
    into a bridge and killed hisself
    they buried him exactly one week after
    they let him out and then let me out
    the next day after his funeral was over
    I don’t have no bad scars left that show
    my legs is burnt good
    I still feel it I get cold
    have to wear them long underwears
    all year long on my legs
    my hands is so thin they bleed easy
    skin’s about as thick as a cigarette paper
    but I’m lucky I guess
    all the rest is dead cept me
    I went back to work for the oil
    the next day because I didn’t have nothing
    else to do and they put me on chain
    wrapping pipes, that’s when I done it
    I hadn’t been working a hour
    when this feller on the other side
    thew his chain and I felt it hurt
    so’s I finished and took off my glove
    the finger stayed in
    I said You sonofabitch you done cut my finger off
    I don’t think he heard he didn’t say nothing
    well I had it I went to the man
    and said That’s it pay me off
    oh he tried to get me to stay on
    but I lost the taste
    didn’t care no more
    it was after that I went down South
    for the lectric company
    got my stomach cut out and
    then I come here to die
    it was a pretty place, I didn’t have nothing better
    ever day LaVerne’d pack me a lunch
    I’d draw her a map of where
    I’d be if I didn’t make it home
    I was weak and couldn’t hardly stand
    so I’d drive up to the caprock edge
    where I’d take off my