The Hike

by Drew Magary

This is cruel and vile, and I did nothing to deserve it. I never betrayed a friend, Crab. I never committed a violent crime. I loved my wife and family the way a man is supposed to love his wife and family. I waded through enough shit jusssssst to get where I was before I stumbled upon this godforsaken road. And even then, life was still brutal. I had bills and children and a sick mother. I don’t even know how I’ve survived it. I don’t know how anyone does. It was already a trial by fire.

Sometimes you get discouraged Because I am so small And always leave fingerprints On furniture and walls But every day I’m growing up And soon I’ll be so tall That all those little handprints Will be hard to recall So here’s a special handprint Just so you can say This is how my fingers looked When I placed them here today.