March of the Empties

Melissa Gutierrez

Antisocial Origin

A smile and sun block and a pail
tempt the sand at regular intervals
soles dig into tender, fragmentary earth
salt munches on the throat
the eyes—
pale spider-creatures skulk and scuttle out of trapdoors

somewhere a path leads out of the slate
a slit in the rock
under the heavy

the Empties slide out of glass cocoons
to crunch the gravel on nameless streets.