this was the first time I’d seen gangrene

afterward I had a portrait drawn of me
I paid nothing for it
tho he only needed
15 dollars to grab a bed to sleep for the night
it was 100 degrees and the air
soured

this was the first time I’d seen gangrene

it grew from his leg like fungus
hard as sponge
soft and death-like against the pants he struggled
to pull up
the color was dull
and muffled

I forced the thin white paper into my bag
knowing it would crease and tear
knowing it
would come to nothing in some trash bin
somewhere

this was the first time I’d seen gangrene