red jacket: a sad green


sad red jacket flopped over
porch lattice, dark jeans linger on the white paint
legs spun underneath, arms dropped,
drooping.
toque slipping down over wet hair,
long and brown and simple
like other girls but curly like
the ones who are hid away.
hand to hand I pass the joint,
let the ash fall
(dust to dust )
onto the already frozen dirt
garden; weeds gathered and surrounding.
it’s only October.
a sudden sense of urgency
that time is moving too quickly;
cats hiss and snarl underneath
a car in the driveway nextdoor.
my eyes are dry
nose sniffles
body aches
it is just
beginning to be colder.
the maple trees have become
infected with viruses
brown cigarette burns, the leaves,
they do not drop in variegated colours anymore
just sad green, dilapidated green.