For a Reason

shallow graves
harvested in rows
on either side
of backroads
lead to the clearing
that houses the
buried thoughts
never acknowledged,
never read twice
never considered
as if they were
aborted babies
tossed in the trash
for pickup on 
recycle Thursdays.
shallow graves washed
over by rain and snow,
heat and cold,
cultivated by farmers
for tobacco...
fertilized and fed 
on even days
weeded and pruned
on odd ones...
and not once did the
neighbors complain.

December 17, 2025