A leaf afloat

on the river

drowning

A trombone cry of cold

whispering among ripples

Jamie Treveal

On an Acer keyboard

In Suffern

typing out a leaf afloat

not drowning

beyond the current

beside an inlet

an oak

gnarled roots penetrating

softened, dampened earth

wifies and shorties

pull out handfuls of hair

over one man

an affair the cause

of a marriage

“Go ya yard,”

a cry uttered, but

left unheeded

the salacious overbite

of abandonment

dry mouth

at a trickling

waterfall

how Jamie suddenly

reconciles existence

looks out

over still water

“hey, roadkill…”

A leaf will tremble

and drop onto the river

such

an overbearing load

gently floating

when all

the world’s leaves float

Peace at last

When a brother-in-law mutters

“Carai fodo se merda”

a leaf afloat

on the river

laughing

receding in the distance

an oak

day 8 of