My Friend

I swear I heard a bird high in the chestnut trees
The sun was so bright, that bird I couldn’t see
No matter where I stood I couldn’t see beak or wing
Just burning, blinding leaves, still and silent trees
Were you with me then my friend? Are you with me now?

When that cement truck, the mixer turning slow
Drove right past me dripping in the road
That swollen body spinning in circles
I stopped and watched it roll, roll and groan
Were you with me then, my friend? Are you with me now?

When I swam alone that night, late summer dusk
The air so warm and still, the water wide and dark
Something brushed against me, I splashed and kicked in fright
Such cold hands upon me, underwater vines
Were you with me then, my friend? Are you with me now?