177

John lay disjointedly over the
            Roots of a tree. He had hit
                        The base of the tree at full
Force and it had arrested his
            Progress through the air; his body
                        Had then dropped the remaining
Three feet and impacted an area
            Of uneven protruding roots, rolling
                        Over three times before coming
To a stop. He was unconscious,
            His legs lying up the slope and
                        The arc of his spine distorted,
Forming a concavity. His chest was
            Rising and falling. His neck was
                        Twisted under his body's weight
And his head turned to the side.
            He had sustained a glancing
                        Concussion to the back of his head
And broken a floating rib
            And he had lacerated the skin
                        Of his arms and torso in a
Number of places. He was
            Bleeding primarily from a large
                        Opening in the skin of his skull,
And blood and clear plasma was
            Seeping into the moss below
                        His head, where it refracted
The ambient light of the wood,
            Forming a ragged aura that seemed
                        To hang from his bloodied hair.