I should have tied them tighter,
he thought to himself.
No point in focusing on what I did wrong,
or rather what I didn't do right.
He got up off the pavement
and without thinking
dusted off his knees.
The right one stung.
He looked down and took notice that
he'd shed skin.
He watched reluctantly
as a single drop of blood
fell off the **** of his knee
and landed on the loose knot of his shoelace.