To Step Around

Heads hang in the rain,

we seem to walk forward

without looking,

all we can see are

the puddles we step around.

Imagine you had eye contact with a stranger,

is the back of their neck wet? –

do her eyes sag?

is he frowning?

she tried to skip around –

that is how he saw you –

she was cautious of the water

and your lane.

When it turns to autumn,

leaves –

brown, red, orange, yellow,

wild berries and pine cones –

fall to the floor,

and the sidewalk becomes more narrow,

so we all move closer to the middle,

walk on an invisible rope,

watch our shoes,

god forbid one of us pops a berry

or crumbles a

wet leaf.