Hands cold and dried by solemn breath,
Tried and tried by the tired test,
Limping slowly, head bowed—no talk.
Lethargic steps drag the sidewalk. 

Night quiets the howling day, with
Black curved fingers asking for pay.
Jingling from an empty pocket,
No coins—but time on a locket. 

Refuses to give golden time,
Searches frantically for a dime. 
Finding nothing, an empty coat,
A quick, stiff hand clutches your throat.

Struggling immediately for,
Grappling for life’s eternal lure.
Like glass—bloody bash on your head,
To ash you fall frozen and dead.