subtext

• •

i’ve given up on happiness

it’s enough now

in the late evening heat

to watch the trees sway

in an exhausted breeze

like two drunks in a cowboy bar

as they shuffle desperately

around the dance floor

to a final slow song

longing for some kind of love

before the night falls away

into another morning

where routine smiles

and office chit-chat

mark the passing of time

and no one hears

the chains dragging

slowly through the dust

or the grackles caw

as they settle into the night

(August 12, 2024)