There is a leaf stuck in an eddy
and stagnant water draws
close to its edge and folds.

It is torn. Its spine
and vanes stick
through brown tissue skin.

Water rushes past;
drums and drain pipes.
But the leaf and its pool are still.

Mist and foam of rapids
and the rumble of earth
are far away.

Saturated in silence
the leaf dips below
the surface and drowns.