Stretched Horizon Poem by Naleen De Alwis

She
Clad tight
Apparent round oily belly
Half naked with
Breasts swelled
In the strapless bra cups
Holding her son
Climbing the steps
TowardsKFC, Straight
To swallow
The lumps offillets
Bathed in salty fat.

She
Clad in rags
Apparent wrinkled belly
Concave to the loin
Half naked with
Withering nipples
Gazing at the dusty ground
Hidden somewhere crumpled
In the torn, strapless bra cups
Holding her son
At the foot of the stairs
Turning the dustbin
Upside down
Detecting and measuring
The bonesmunched
Left to them
Bathed in salty tears.