The Leaves Change

And here I am walking in the gutter,
kicking dried leaves, drinking from a flask.

The leaves snap beneath my feet like fine bones
Calcified unto the ages and then the stars come out,
Rendering the gutter ridiculous.

Beneath such an established crowd you can only
Confess your sins,
Say what you did wrong and when
You go home the night hums in your head,
Crackling like a fire that gives no warmth,
All coats useless,
Your skin stretched so thin
I can see through it, a map
To a world I could never go
Without losing my way.

I'll find you anyway.
I'll hold my flask to your mouth
And you shall drink a toast
To the cold path
That brought me hence,
Smiling with such idiotic certitude.