Circling Wolves

I told myself
I would quit
before the smell
stuck to my clothes,
but I'm here
on this bench with him
or, really, standing
next to this bench,
and we're eyeing the cars
that pass through
this neighborhood.

There's a forest
and a path right
behind us, but he
doesn't want to walk it,
he wants to
watch and see if
anyone is going to swing around
that blind corner
and crash into
the back of his
father's car.

I was hoping
somebody
would pass by, but
we're alone out here.
Staring into someone's
fertilized lawn;
there's a pile of ash
on my shoe
and it looks like
we're just waiting
for our bodies to die.