A walk in the park
Gnarled arms reaching for a clear blue sky
Puffs of insubstantial indifference wafting by
Weathered hiding places peek from leaf-lined caves
Abandoned baseball, coming apart at the seams
Faraway, a child’s laughter, borne closer on a breeze
Twisted knots like ears strain to catch the sound
As prohibitions line the shore
Yellow-and-white hope pokes through inhospitable ground
Thorny trunks covet a lone, bright green leaf
Wind rustles leaves, red berries dance
Tree roots like sunning snakes unfurl toward the path
Violet flowers stretch in the afternoon heat
A wrong turn, evidence of calamity
Sunlight on water, diamonds through wood
A fountain framed by dying branches
An empty highway following the clouds
Possibility.
October
Cobwebs dance in the morning sun
Tickled by a teasing breeze
Hint of fall on its breath
Green stillness at eye level
Pause button activated in my brain
Space for thoughts of peace, and not of evil
A future and a hope
Shards of potential joy filtered through tree branches
Reach 8 a.m. fingers toward my pale, cracked skin
Uncertain path, newborn identity
Pulsating faintly under tissue-thin membrane
Answers as fragile as the gossamer threads
Woven between leaves
But in this now,
Slanted sun on my skin
Cool air on my face
Light.