The park was too loud so I sat instead
by Caleb
· 20/12/2025
Published 20/12/2025 15:04
The park was too loud so I sat instead
between two headstones on a bench. I ate
my lunch and read the name: Harold. The dead
stay readable longer than you'd think. The date
said 1984. The other stone
had lost its name to weather. Cold. Flat coffee.
A plastic bag was caught and on its own
was breathing—filling, emptying—and softly
I watched it more than made sense. In and out.
A slow involuntary lung. The sun
was low and bright. A bird. No one about.
I walked back after forty minutes. Done.
The bag was probably still going. I didn't check.
The afternoon sat low across my neck.