--   I cant see the horizon through the trees

he shoved me from behind  --   Shaddup n walk!  the blunt nose of his revolver banging 

my backbone black and blue 

No sweat huh  Soon you aint seein nuthin

these were old growth trees

dense

not me

dimly it occurred to me  maybe  the woods might take a bullet for me

one bullet might buy me just enough

outside fifteen feet hed be lucky to hit me through the vertical blinds

why worry the horizon

inside the car trunk I was aware we rode uphill

what goes up must come down 
and we were still walking uphill

thump! another welt rising on bone

a big bore

he might be able to shoot through a tree

underfoot  little tangle

--   I cant see the hori  . .

--   Ya said

lay it on dumb luck

all in the timing  
as he jabbed again I made a football spin

brought a heavy elbow to his temple

broken field run  downhill

physics pulling me

slicing sidewise between spaces in trees

my face whipped by boughs and naked fingerlings

BLAM! sounded bigger than the explosion of splintering wood behind me

Im still intact

churning

hurtling

praying the woods might take two

MUTHAFUCKER! bigger than the BLAM!

never send an oaf to do an elfs job

suddenly airborne

falling

not too far

keepin balance

soft earth landin

cut road

downhill

off road

MUTHAFUCKER!

gaining ground

big forest

he aint no bloodhound

aint either of us going home

legs and lungs are screamin

letem scream

letem bitch n bellyache

means were alive n afire

somewhere high above me a car engine starts coughs ought to do something about that 
coughs sputters stalls really ought to have done something about that

MUTHAFUCKER!

HA! sucks not to be me

lactic acid fire

a snatch of a cramp in my ham

Drop

talkin to myself

Ill listen to me

I drop

spittle runs spiderwebs across my face

hawk up a chunk of lung

spit

suck air

first time I glance over my shoulder

trees

I cant see the horizon for trees

thinkin

slow  heart

thinkin

slow  breath

buyin time

slow  it  all  d  o

                            w

                                 n

slowin

gobble up a look from where I am

no track

fat man aint no Daniel Boone

fat man would make plenty of noise as he came

I hoped the car croaked

with him piggybacking another human being of fat I liked my odds more and more

craaaank

dead car

talley

he dont walk out

one dead urban oaf

maybe a dead black and blue backbone

water

a bladder of piss

hold it

canteen

wont get snagged in the trees and brush

Up!

yeah me

bossy muthafucker

or so Im reminded

up

ham aint tight

sore

Go!

feel a disembodied finger at my spine ready to dig out a mewling vertebra

were going

if it aint as long a walk as I think it is  Ill poach him

Shaddup

Enough

yah

okay

focus

walk

deliberate

quiet

listen

birds roosting

night soon

fingers crossed I cross the road

switchbacks

lots

sudden bench

green

sunset

horizon smiles

There you are

smiles bigger

I smile

Nice to see ya again

between the benchs toes

road

black ribbon and a bow

2131,  Thursday,  13  12. 12

hed seen something like it before

grown in an empty trash-strewn parcel of barbedwire-trussed land

at its dead center

one limb in a lazy arc high above the rest of the bare tree

etched black

upraised against the purple morning sky

he exited the highway

doubled back on a rotting concrete frontage road

and parked on the gravel 

directly across from the tree

broken pints sparkling distinct from the stones on its cruddy shoulder

he swung the door open and stood outside the car 

leaning on its hood

glaring at the tree

so familiar

                       

but where

there was a black man  beaten  laying bleeding in the dirt

at the dead center of a gang of white men who jeered him

he was broken

his breathing labored

bloody spittle hanging from his split lips

he didnt move

a bullish-looking man entered the circle

a whip in hand

he dragged it in the dirt behind him

he kicked the black man in the ribs 

who gasped from the blow

I came up on the backs of the circled men

Nigger the bull cried

the gathered men laughed

spat gobs of tobacco on the negro 
laughed ugly

without pity

You hear me nigger Im talking to you You hear me nigger

he snapped the braided leather

it hung momentarily 
in a lazy arc in the hot white air

he brought the whip down across the negros back

his shirt split open where the lash struck

the gang laughed

bottles tipped back

the whip snarled again and again

the negro crying and twisting under its strokes

I broke into the circle 

and grabbed the tail of the whip as the bull tried to stroke it again

my grasp restrained him

a bottle broke against the back of my head

I heard Nigger lover

I sunk to my knees

but twisted a wrap of bloodiedwet leather around my wrist

a foot stomped my hand 

it broke  my fingers crabbed

a foot stomped it again

Nigger lover

the whip unwound  slithered  from my mangled grip

I was pitched bodily against the negro

the air cried as the whip came down across my face

my cheek split

I passed out

I came to under the splash of a bucket of urine

a hemp rope was yanked over my head

cinched at my throat

it was dark now

Ya gonna dance with the nigger friend 

Ya know how niggers love ta dance

they hung me beside the negro

I kicked at the end of the rope

I kicked him

he hung heavy   twitching

I kicked

I danced

I flailed at the rope with my hands

my wrists were broken

I choked ragged  

I shook

I died

I stared at that stark tree 

at the dead center of the vacant lot

I lurched from my car

fell onto my knees

and vomited

breathing easier 

I oozed back into the car

and wiped my face and mouth with my dusty handkerchief

looking into the rearview mirror I saw a rope at my throat

then it faded

and as it faded  

I sobbed 

I sobbed for who I had been

and for the black man

1444,  Friday,  6  1. 12