2. The Half-life Man

Saw it standing by the edge of… Well… ain’t no real road here to speak of.
Only tracks in the red red dust.
Tracks we inherited
From our former selves.
Dutifully trudging along
I saw it there, standing, barely standing.
White, serious face
Defiant mouth
Starved-out eyes
Scrawny, boyish frame swaying in high desert wind.
Used to be a man.
A better man.
Would’ve cared
Before
Would’ve trusted
Before
Only tracks in the dust
Now
I am hollow, eroded by time
Now
I am a half-life man.
I survive.
Seemed smart
To lock him in the boot of my car.