Structural Integrity

The grit in the carpet

is a reminder of the heat.

I shake the mat out

and watch the dust

drift toward the neighbor's fence.

The kid was so careful

with the plastic bucket.

But the seagull dropped down

like a stone from the sky

and crushed the tower flat.

A single webbed print

in the center of the wreck.

The kid just stared

at the bird's white back

while the mother checked her mail.