stillness

so much empty space at the
end of the day, rooftops beaten flat
by a bruised grey sky,
powerlines and towers, metal dug deep
into earth, silence uncovered and
released, heartbeats, whispers,
the painful negotiations of
                                   here to there 

a life spent wanting more
is a life wasted

all roads are subtle lies

let the town grow around you
like a forest or like a cancer
and then let it die

consider all of history leading up to
the idea of a homeless man
passed out on the railroad tracks

every war
every assassination
every discovery

think about january in these
last bitter days of September

don’t tell me the idea of
                                      suicide
has never crossed your mind