I stepped over the quiet weight

I stepped over the quiet weight,

dark feathers splayed like wilted leaves.

Crushed leaf stuck under its wing,

unnoticed by the city’s rush.

The cracked concrete holds its stillness,

a frozen moment—life folded in,

a tiny body spread thin,

silence louder than passing feet.

I felt the air thicken,

a pause in the usual noise,

where something small went silent

and the world walked on.