the air smells of
burning plastic.
the air smells of
salt.
small snails
crunch underfoot.
the air smells of
burning rubber.
the air smells of
wood.
a photo of
grinning bags of meat,
holding aloft a
large fish.
blood streams down
its side.
grinning,
the fish is
very large.
grinning,
lets put the photo
in the newspaper.
grinning,
this is news.
the photo is
black and white and
bright red blood
streams down
the fish’s side.
it is a
large fish,
once common.
now,
newsworthy.
the air smells of
containment.
the air smells of
extraction.
habits are hard
to break,
aren’t they?
put it in
your mouth,
inhale deep,
take it all in.
relax.
the devil is
said to have a
tail that twists
like that of
a pig.
hate is
a corkscrew,
it burrows into you and
twists.
ever tighter,
concentrically,
it reduces you to
a pinhole.
the air smells of
rain.
the air smells of
broken rock.
the air is thick
with cloud.
zakschafer.com 