The dog-eared leaves wilting on the trees
it's a cold spring day and they need water
while the breeze off the lake picks up
and the sunlight rises like a python out of a basket
snake eyes hypnotize me for a moment
before I zip my coat.
The whirring sound mixing with the engine
of the diesel garbage truck and its big clanking noises
which eclipse the softer shades of brown
on the bark
as the wind
shuffles the branches quietly
like a tired dealer
shuffling the deck
at the eerie casino.