that was back when the attic was filled with coffins

Till 1987 my house was The Head-Quarters of the KINGS. My mom in Virginia would call them the Latin Kings, but here in Humbolt Park it goes with out saying. This is where they sold all their drugs. Carmella, our landlady, says the whole house was rigged when she bought it. If the police rang, which they certainly did, Coyote could just push a button and it would ring in every room of the 4-story house (includes big attic and basement). When the Kings heard the bell they knew what to do and they would quickly hide all the drugs. Carmella called him Coyote like we all knew him.

When she moved in, aside from all the normal wear and tear and marks from crowbars and break-ins the doorknobs were changed. When the Kings lived here every doorknob was a coffin. When they left they all got changed and sat in a pile in the attic.

She told us this story yesterday as she worked hard with a screwdriver changing our door knob. It had been smashed during the night. Someone broke in while M. and I was sleeping. They stole a computer, a stash of weed, and a jar of change. I guess Carmella was trying to make us feel better, glad we weren't there in '87. Whatever Carmella. I'm Coyote now, and I'll sleep with a gun.