Life's Arrogant Soldiers

 death comes in slivers and shallow cuts. a slow surrender of bone and blood. we're weakest when we want. and we're always wanting. 

we're animals in human skin. we're gods on broken crutches. arrogant enough to think we can change what has always been changing us. 

we're dead leaves. adrift in the wind. stumbling in the shadow of the tree that's discarded us. angry orphans. plump with the illusion of power. 

we're wolves banging on the doors of pigs. huffing and puffing to no effect. 

we're victims of our own fairy tales. choking on all the lies that used to comfort us. 

the end is sparse and lonesome. hurried stones defy gravity. 

still they all sink. eventually.