broken brick wall

there was a wall behind a shed
that ran a mile abreast a flock
of houses bricked in blister red
and baked to brown like gingerbread
along a creek the others did not walk

that razor winds had picked to crumbs
and scattered pieces 'neath the trees
scraping mortar and callused thumbs
a sturdy structure oft becomes
a pile of pepper broken by the breeze

a wall of rubble, cut and scarred
built for scenery, little more
now catching litter from the yard
cable bills and credit cards
and grocery sacks sucked from every door

and so i lifted up the wall
of brick and mortar left to rot
and took the fortune of the fall
and carried pieces big and small
down the lazy path my world forgot

and dropped the wall that once was frail
into the earth, alone-apart
and forged a path without a rail
bright beyond the shady vale,
yes, broken bricks can still support a heart.