They say the earth gulped him
like a snake, but earth chews.
She must have had him stuck
between her rocky teeth,
mineral-rich saliva
breaking down his will.
It should have taken days,
not hours.
Not minutes.

So they say he got caught
on a rusting crane.
Water orange, water red.
Everything we build lasts
forever, is what they say.

His brother didn’t want
to swim and the rest is
nothing new. Dinner was
already done before
anyone asked, already dark
when they reached the pit,
where they found his clothes

-Michael Haeflinger