swish, go the scraps into the trees
whispered into a smoke,
up to your knees
–
wrists twist, teeth clack
snapping in dissonant
jarred tones of deepened anxiety
–
ropes of gum collect, spillage
springs from the lever, hurtling, slicing through the darkened sky
a second ticking post – (tiny fist smacking the dusty rusty button)
–
creaks of its broken joints drift in the air
“beep”
sings its sputtering e-battery, weakly
slowly, staggering
into the sleeping gathering arms of a mother
her broken form splayed crookedly within
the web of glistening pink
