the wind ruffled
the sycamore’s leaves
with laughter
as he wandered
toward a wood
once again
not fear
of death but life
strangled him
entangled his breath
in hacking spasms
until his words
caught against
his ribs
like birds
broken
between wires
of an ornate cage
not so much
a struggle
against something
as sacrificed
into wind
(August 15, 2014)
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