Three Brothers' Way
golden sunset
in a hazy summer day in Georgia.
three brothers long estranged
step gently through matted thorns.
comes a clearing by a pond.
one brother speaks.
another points.
and the third lifts his gun and fires.
the blast sends ringing ears
and gun-flashed acrid smell,
flocks of birds take flight.
a stick leaps from the pond --
tumbling and twisting in air,
spraying golden droplets of bitter-stagnant water.
ripples dash over the surface --
bouncing through cattails
and wrapping ‘round stumps.
the blast’s echo dies away
and the pond settles down.
the brothers sit
on moss-covered earth
with ill-timed humor and stilted laughter.
the sunset shines violet now.
and from somewhere nearby,
an owl hoots.
Copyright © Sam Toil | Year Posted 2024
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