'My heart is weak'
he says to his loved ones;
his back turned, shoulders
heavy and neck
loosened

He hangs his head
in shame, and the
mouth follows
with one long drop

'This heart
is a jar filled
with pennies;
trinkets of days
gone by; no love,
no, not for any of you'

They listen as
carefully as they can;
while managing their
own disappointments
and failures; with
their hands tied
behind their backs,
they can only do so
much

'Son, we have
no gold to bequeath
upon you, no diamonds,
no silver, no fortune
to behold,

--forgive us'

No one stirs;
the earth rumbles,
it's belly starved
of bodies

'So it shall be done'
he says to himself;

and this, they all
quietly agree upon
with great regret

His father left the earth
the same way;
and now there
will be one less mouth to feed