One slip, one little trip, barely a blip
one second
to hit
one ledge or hardwood floor.
Ribs crack.
Breath runs away.
There he lays
on the verge
of leaving pain,

Blood inside
Blood outside

It hurts.
He is scared.

Alone in there
cannot catch
any breath
cannot call out.

Tears grease
his worn face.
Years do not race
across the space
of his anxious mind.
Only one thought
can be found
like a skipping record
or a scratched cd.

“Please
I do not want
to die alone.”