"The Plea" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
Sinking Sand
(Sinking slowly into poverty)
In the beginning, the ground felt steady,
Firm beneath the weight of dreams,
But somewhere, in silence, cracks emerged,
Thin as whispers, light as seams.
A missing bill, a dwindling stash,
Harmless debts I thought would pass—
The ground shifted slow, like a muted quake,
A gentle tremor in the grass.
It started like footsteps on gravel soft,
Pebbles breaking under heel,
And with each misstep, each missed chance,
The slipping earth felt more real.
I’d tell myself, “It’s just a phase;
Things will settle, sure as sand,”
But every step brought sinking deeper,
Pulled gently down by an unseen hand.
It’s a steady slide, not a sudden fall,
A stretch and pull of a fraying thread.
Days melt to nights, months slip by,
And dreams that spark grow dim instead.
I pawned my hopes in pieces small—
A ring, a coat, a watch, a pen,
The marks of life turned into coin,
Gone for less than I paid back then.