Today I Will Teach Him What a Prison Is

I told him to walk
beside the river
and gather things
that were long.

An hour is a breeze
when he returned
on his arms
a dried vine,
a timeworn halyard,
a fishing line,
and wrapped
around his head
a torn bandana.

Seeing my mistake,
I took a chance
and asked him
if he could cage
anything
with his things.

He laid them
on the ground
he laid them
one after the other
in a circle
around him and I

around tears
I found later
dripping
from my eyes
to my knees
kneeling
on mud

his hand
over mine.