He chewed on
The fat
Though in these
Lean times
There was little 
On his plate
But bones 
And he chewed 
On his thoughts
Though the nights 
Had been long and dry
So his ideas 
Were sparse 
He chewed on his jaw
And ground his
Boot into
The dirt
Looking hopelessly
At the sky
As though the clouds
Might make a picture
Of the answer
Even though
For most of the time
The question 
Evaded him

With his words 
Forsaken 
And his mind empty 
The long dusty days
Stretched helplessly ahead 
He shuffled his 
Crumpled 
Deck of cards
Spat thinly
Into the sand 
Glanced at his 
Once calloused hands 
And lost himself
In the sun
Of somebody else's 
Shadow
For once
They 
Could take
The blame for the 
Weight he carried 
Across his shoulders
When everyone else
Had been
Lame