a dead roach

i sit on the bare mattress. twelve hours on the concrete floor. these cheap leather boots are stiff. they do not bend when you walk. my heels are ground to raw meat. i pull the laces loose. rent is due in two days. the ex-wife expects her check. that keeps a man moving. i peel the white sock off. dried blood glues it to the blister. it tears away a layer of skin. i drop the sock on the floorboards. it lands next to a dead roach.