A naïve trust
permeates all
he encounters
outside
of books,
which lend
themselves
like robes
against other’s
bony fingers
prodding him
like a sacrificial
swan.
Tension ripples
from him
as he wades
through water
neck deep,
his feet
slogging
through
the sucking
ooze.
He pockets
definitions’
stones
offered
from others,
until
he disappears
beneath the weight
into the expectant
waves.
(January 26, 2014)
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