construction worker carries safety cone
ready to drop it with his back turned to traffic
he drops with it
death
Poem #377
I thought he was dead
laying unmoving on the bed
next to me
he must have died in the night
he did not move
he did not stir
when I petted him
when I nudged him
I checked for breath
his eyes opened
he was alive
I realized
he hadn’t been so peaceful
in a long time
I forgot what it looked like