Breath held short
Dare I tread
One step further
Put forth serene
But as the threshold approached
My smooth pulse quickened
Grew erratic
Sharing these dreads unspoken
The just-beyond unknown
To trust that these bonds, yet unbroken, will hold
Or to fold, shed this chance to have grown

Umbrella tangos
With a long-faded Cubs cap
In the sudden gale
Halestruck street swift abandoned
Stray dog their sole spectator

Crushed thyme & rosemary
The mountain of spuds fresh peeled
Leave sapped arms aching
Granny still fussing over
All dinner's little just so's

I thought I saw you reflected
In a passerby's sunglasses
The other day
Of course I knew
It couldn't be you
I see fragments
Of the wish of you
Most everywhere I go
I know it's not you
Couldn't be
Still
My wayward mind
Will insist on slotting you
Into every half-seen corner

Fire rose in the wood
A sudden flowering bloom
From Summer's dry depths
By lightning pollinated
Spreading seeds of choking ash