other animals

in what may have been a park weeds
without flowers climb white clouds cling
to the mountain an open wound
that won’t stop oozing broken mouths
growl in rusted junk chain-link yards

the town gets smaller with every
breath though they never think to bite
the hands that keep them in cages
while kids throw stones at a hornet’s
nest dream of pills and lottery

wins and the dog no longer feels
the chain that choked his younger days

and those who ran away still see
themselves mirrored in cracked black stone