As a child, I watched a man wearing overalls

Fall

Off

A

High

Stool.
He was sitting in a hardware store's aisle,

Among

Nails of many lengths and sizes.

The nails glittered under a bare light bulb.
The straps of his overalls were clipped

With

Tin

Eagles with outspread wings
I was told the man was dead.
I looked at him to see what death was.

His pink face had grayed.
The doors of the hardware store were closed.

I looked at his hands,

His fingers stiff, would not move.
I started bending my eight fingers and two thumbs back and forth.