sky comes down cone of cloud
the missing eyes of strangers
when you told those stories
we imagined your light with compassion
truth being I still can’t understand why
you felt that way empty like departed
detached
the air between cercus of earwig
sober breath greased metal gasp when you pulled
the oven over your head
your long drawn out extinction
better a star explodes scatters atoms like
dandelion seeds beauty beauty
to die within an instant
to never know what hit you
John Leonard is an English teacher and poetry editor for Twyckenham Notes. He holds an M.A. in English from Indiana University. His previous works have appeared in Chiron Review, december, Roanoke Review, North Dakota Quarterly, The Windsor Review, and Trailer Park Quarterly. He lives in Elkhart, Indiana with his wife.