Hollow Poem by William Graham

Look at me! I have been hollowed
Out like a pumpkin sitting on a porch
At Halloween. The seeds of ambition
Have been scooped away and discarded.
I crookedly smile at people who pass me.
My eyes dim as the candle burns down.
I sit and rot—jobless and hopeless—
As the cold winds of autumn claw
At my skin like a bird of prey.
I will be dumped out soon. Do you
See me there? I am sitting by the curb,
Waiting for someone to carry me away
Before the stink becomes too aromatic.
I know you want to keep the neighborhood
Clean and not attract vermin. I will go
Quietly and not bother you. I will go.