The cool winds of autumn arrive
Too late to save the young sequoia
That had managed for twenty years
To survive on the narrow strip
Of dirt between the sidewalk
& the graffitied brick wall
From my office window across the street
I watch helplessly as the branches droop
& the leaves dry up and turn brown
In the early morning, high school kids
Carrying books and backpacks
Chat animatedly as they walk
past the dying sequoia
Two little girls in matching pink sweaters
Stroll to school with their mother
On the cracked sidewalk
Where only last week
There was a trail of blood
Leading to a pile of torn
& blood-soaked clothing
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