The time is 15 minutes after noon,
It was 13 minutes after noon when I last checked
I am empty.
The shadow of my being
looms much larger than the tiny
translucent light that is lurking inside  
I'm standing inside my office
looking to the
cloudless sky  
the sparrows
that are not on the electrical lines
the seagulls
the Crows
that are missing from
the tops of the highest trees.
The roads are empty of cars like
a huge desert tarred
in black.  
There are no people outside
There are no people inside.
I walk down the staircase to the outside
to confirm what I witnessed from inside.    
The sun is directly over where I stand
I've never seen it as close
as I see it today.
I can feel the skin on my body melt
There is no air to breathe

I climb back the staircase to my office
and get back to my seat.

A small Robin hides on the
ledge of my window from the outside.
I open the window, and it
hobbles in
desperate to perch itself
on my shoulder.