just one failure to watch 

one fateful soft misstep 

can bring a building down 

cause chaos to erupt 

 

i looked around for someone 

i’m still not certain whom

relief flooded my chest

when i found myself alone

 

now twilight turns to darkness 

it grows brighter all around 

the streetlights burn into my eyes 

violent and without sound 

 

i sit beneath my tree and in

my neck a stiffness grows 

blood smeared on my arm where a 

mosquito moved too slow

 

the berries drip with viscera

red and glistening in the dark 

i send a whisper your way and

i hope it hits its mark 

 

my bread is tough and bitter

the berries still are sweet 

i linger here a while, content

but hesitant to eat 

 

i heave my basket from the ground

and walk beyond the light 

i lift a berry to my mouth 

about to take a bite.