Iron gates lie together,
locked eternal, but betrayed by
the hinges’ fallibility that eventually gave way
to what was once an exhibition of fauna,
now overthrown by the
new age flora menagerie

Footsteps break silence momentarily,
only to be droned out again by the
continuum of bird chirps and
insect calls

One intruder,
not here to fight against the rebellion,
but to admire the persistence of
silent overthrow

And pay respects

Dappled light fallen through branches,
illuminates the shattered remains
of window glass
fallen on the
dead man’s tomb

The final resting place of
an “accident” 
of “unavoidable nature”
his own fault
they said it was a
fatal attraction:
him and the beasts

A marker sits at the house
to remember the way he was painted
but his body lies where he truly was
surrounded by the creatures
he collected