Earl B's Number

It’s there, same as your blood type and fingerprint.

Earl B
believed
everybody 
has a number,
immovable, 
irrefutable.

Single, double,
or triple digits, 
doesn’t matter. 
It’s there,
same as your blood type 
and fingerprint.

Earl B & best buddy Raspy Caskin.

He’d say
you can wear 
your seatbelt, 
or not, 
smoke, smoke less, 
not smoke, 
eat well, eat poorly,
exercise, or not,
get little sleep
or lots. 

Doesn’t matter,
your number’s 
your number. 
When your number’s up,
he’d say, that’s it,
you’re done. 
Game over.

He would say
he lived that way,
not worrying about 
what he couldn’t control,
nor about what he could.

It wouldn’t matter, 
anyway, 
he’d say. 
My day’s my day,
my number’s 
my number.

It’ll come 
and I’ll go. 

‘See ya!’