NECESSITY

by Ben Bellet

am i doing it wrong?

i saw a sparrow on the ground,

twitching in time to the wind

through the leaves.

sun setting, the mallow

strewn about as if by oversight.

try to pose questions,

a way of getting it on the ropes.

how long do you look,

stand, glean. at what point

are you just interrogating dead birds

staring at the ground.

and when should I go home.

consider how the scene is set

for any number of disasters.

one almost wishes for it.

the blood pooling in the shower.

the pulse oximeter below 90. 

there is no resolution

either in ecstasy or pain.

one must go on tying one’s shoes.

my favorite scene is the ascension.

I’ll bet they looked at one another.

wondering if it was happy hour yet.

or simon of cyrene, on his way to the liquor store.

why else would you try to walk through

an execution in progress—