PICKPOCKETS

They steal the contents of your pockets
without you noticing. They steal
your pockets. They steal the trousers
your pockets were attached to.
They steal your backpack

and leave the weight of it
dragging at your back. They steal
the shoes you're walking in
and your feet as well. They steal the skin
from your bones, the bones

from underneath your skin, making you
sag like an empty bag. They steal
the food from your mouth, your teeth
and your words before your speak them.
They steal your shadow

and crumple it up like rubbish. They steal
your passport, your postcards,
your tourist map with all the places
carefully marked in. They steal the breath
from your lungs. They steal the view

of the volcano you were happily
walking towards. They steal the memories
you no longer remember having.