Mystery Mail 
It read: “
I hope this finds you well” 
To no avail 
You tipped the scale 
Now I’ll see you in 
Hell Sailing over this story’s arc 
A cardboard box that missed its mark 
Like a comet seen at dusk 
Like the Mayan twins born of the husk 
We were raised and flew at the very same height 
But fell individually from our flight 
I knew Daniel since high school in 
Benicia He sold cookies from his parents’ freezer 
But were we ever really ever close? 
Now Daniel’s gone and 
I’m his ghost 
He went north and 
I went east 
We had a plan- or an idea, at least 
From his cousin’s lab in 
Crescent City 
Daniel packaged two pounds for speedy delivery 
USPS to Greenpoint, 
Brooklyn Every gram sold while his cousin kept cooking 
Successfully, this went on 
For, oh, I don’t know how long 
One day I turned the corner onto 
India St. 
I must have turned white as a sheet 
Three policemen were standing on my stoop 
Talking to my girlfriend, 
Betty Boop 
I turned around never to see 
Betty again 
I’m sorry, 
Betty, I hope you understand 
I assumed they got to 
Daniel first 
In this line of work you come to expect the worse 
Some time later, the smirk was wiped from my smile 
I was arrested for hopping a turnstile 
Bones had told the warrant cleared after eight years 
So, naturally, on my court date 
I failed to appear 
Eventually, the cardboard comet had to fall 
I took a walk down the long hall 
The first thing 
I did from my cell 
Was write a letter in search of 
Daniel Daniel was indeed inside the lion’s den 
Not the only 
Lionkiller in a 
California 
State Penn. 
Daniel wrote me back in a matter of days 
No mention of whether or not crime pays 
He wrote: “
You wouldn’t recognize my anymore” “
I bet you’d rather be back cleaning toilets in 
Baltimore” “
I’ll never make it out of this cell” “
I guess the next time 
I see you will be in 
Hell” The letters stopped rolling in 
I heard Daniel was stabbed with a ballpoint pen 
About sixty times by his cellmate, 
Charles Now people talk about immortalizing him in marble 
Not everybody should be made a saint 
Daniel was good guy, but a saint he ‘aint 
Mystery Mail 
It read: “
I hope this finds you well” 
To no avail 
You tipped the scale 
Now I’ll see you in 
Hell