• Swallowed by slowing seconds,
    Struggling against last words,
    Never knew I could be so

    Envious;
    Wish I could hate you.
    _________________________

    The golden chandelier demands awe
    Above the envious ornate table.
    Rags clad in children trudge past the stained glass window.
    _________________________

    It burns.

    It bears down on my broken back
    Like Apollo just staged a drive-by,
    Showering the East Side in solar bullets.

    Concrete sidewalks
    And metal benches
    Declare war.

    The first casualty — the neighborhood cat.