It’s been a month since my last walk
and it’s time to get back into it.
So unusual to feel the sun’s heat in my back,
this early in the day.
Perhaps I should have worn sunscreen
like the office girl I just passed –
the warm, beachy smell incongruous
with her pinstriped suit, and joggers.
A babble of Farsi, ending with jubilant laughter,
gushes out of a taxi’s window,
the driver’s eyes alight, above his dazzling grin –
shared with me by his gentle nod.
A butterfly dances in front of me
soon joined by his mate – seeming to kiss
then part, in joyful random flight
before settling on a rose in full bloom.
Raucous giggles and squeals pull my gaze
to three little girls, separating to avoid
their classmate’s outstretched tagging hand
and make me smile at my own memories.
It dawns on me that the gloom
that has plagued all winter has lifted,
when I realise that I forgot to notice
the Funeral Home today.
