the last night of the carnival
we found a carousel filled
with skeletal horses
the operator insisted
from inside a shadowed booth
that no tickets were necessary
everyone could ride
we watched silent children get on
but never off
as it spun slowly around
a single rotation
silent but for the sound
of gears, never any music
never a ringing bell
for the capture
of the brass ring
only dusty footprints
Words and Feathers 