521. HANK THE BUCKLE

HANK THE BUCKLE
(at the Hudson Street pier, 1968)
And then there was all that:
folderol, the bridge at the river,
the lamp on the corner, the strange
door on the shed overlooking the harbor.
Inside lived one Henry Hyde, know as
'Hank the Buckle' to those who knew.
It had something to do with his
stripped-down manner, that name did.
Not a rifle, but a pistol, often near his
waist - belt and buckle together. All that
made for a mysterious name.
-
No one ever really knew what he did.
Card-shark, looter, car-thief, shooter.
It hardly ever mattered, for where Henry
went, there Henry was. Good for the
goose and good for the gander.
All that crap you hear.
-
He left one afternoon about 4pm,
and was simply just never
heard from again.