beware
the thorn pierces
the sole
of the barefoot
wanderer
injecting itself
into the very fiber
of laconic belief

foolish oaf
brandishing
the banter
of wayward souls
drifting along
the banks
of the stream
in search of shelter

the milky dew
of infection
drips down
from cancerous sores
yet still
blistered feet
carry the nomads
ever farther from home