Poppy

The stone man is not always made of stone
not really–
at first when night sand
still lingers in his joints,
capturing his bones in its nearly cemented seals,
he is only crusted over
but not still stone.

As his movements increase
with the height of the sun
the sand deposits wash away
the brittle bones warm to the day.

Then, as the sun settles in,
so does he–
harder, quieter, colder
stiff and weighted
as sleep pours out of his nose.