i looked more closely at the backpack
it was standard size
grey, faux leather trim
with an extra pocket secured with a zipper

and i paused
for a filthy, tailor-made cigarette
sucked in those horrific
juicy vapours
as i wondered
what was in this secreted backpack pocket?

and i felt the gravity
gravity, gravity
g = 9.8m/s^2
(on this planet, for now..)
brakes slamming on a childhood car
body pulled towards the windshield
ac/de/celerration as gravity analogue
meteorites burning cloudlines to blue noctilucent
aether
sluicing inward, downward
feeding the hungry atoms of mass
clustered into a planet
an invisible eternal waterfall
raining from the sky
gravity

i shook my head
who knows what gravity is?

i unzipped the side pocket
of the mystery backpack
and my eyes widened
at what i saw there

a pencil, like mine
astounding!
who uses pencils anymore?

a surgical scalpel
blade jiggly
half unscrewed from its mount
glinting dimly off the cloudy sunlight

a 2$ coin of the realm

a curious wood carving
circular
hole drilled through the centre
and 10x holes drilled laterally
but not clear through to the middle
it reminded me of a “tinkertoy” from my youth
but more rugged
and 10x instead of 8x holes
the palm of my hand felt stranger
the longer i held it

there was more besides
but i am going to end this story now

after attempting to locate this particular individual
from the wallet ID in the side pocket
i surrendered the backpack and its contents
to the local police
and i hoped
this lovely derelict and his effects
would soon be re-united

and i also contemplated hope
and the uselessness thereof
and i smiled anyways