At the time of writing this, I have yet to watch The Wire. But I have seen some episodes of Boardwalk Empire, which is where I was introduced to Michael K. Williams. He played Chalky White on the show. When he passed away in September 2021, I was so sad that I poured a part of my grief into a poem to him.

It's strange how someone, who up to then I had never met in real life, and didn't know well at all outside of the one show, Boardwalk Empire, could impact me so deeply without my realizing it.

Since his passing, I have sought out videos of him such as interviews, the shows he did with VICE TV, and the 2012 No Reservations Brooklyn episode with Anthony Bourdain. Bourdain's passing also had a strangely strong effect on me, though, again, he was someone I never met in real life, and didn't know well at all outside of seeing him in some episodes of No Reservations and Parts Unknown.

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