improvised explosive device
an abandoned backpack
off the well-worn trail
seemingly in good shape
full & bulging at the seams
like a waxing gibbous
I pedal past at some
twenty miles per hour
hands on the dropdowns
eyes shifting back & forth
from bag to trail to bag
curiosity killed the cat
this much is known
but I could only imagine
what’s inside would
surely be my demise
upon the return trip
flying faster with the wind
I approach same backpack
this time strapped upon
a hiker in full stride
and very much alive
october two thousand twenty
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terrifying
oh yes