The Ordinary Spider-Man

(12 x 16) Acrylic on Canvas

In my dream, I save Uncle Ben from that carjacker and, out of gratitude, Peter Parker invites me over for dinner.  I charm him and his family. And after a while, we become best friends. We sit around Peter’s apartment in Queens, smoke weed and play video games. He trusts me. He confides in me. Eventually, he tells me about his abilities.

At first I don’t believe him, but he proves it with a demonstration on the roof.  We smoke some more pot and break a few chairs over his back before I'm sufficiently convinced.  I talk him into helping me rob a liquor store.  

It’s unbelievably easy. We're in and out in less than five minutes. Counting the take in the passenger seat I find there’s over a thousand dollars! Over the next few weeks Pete & I go on a crime spree; mostly small stuff: Delis, dive bars, grocery stores, late night diners.  

One day I tell him “We need to think bigger.”

    

Flash forward three months and we’re hitting banks now. So much cheddar we don’t even know where to keep it. Pete’s moved out of Queens. We share a penthouse apartment on the Upper West Side.

And there’s girls.  Lots of em. We tell them we’re day traders.

Every night til 4 AM, spending thousands of dollars at the club.

Top shelf, VIP section, bottle service, the whole nine

All of the power, none of the responsiblity.

And just before I join Peter

 and the girls on the web

 trampoline

 out on

the

 roof deck,

all my teeth fall out. And I wake up.