She stood
out of arms' reach
and talked
like she used to
non-stop for 30 minutes
I watched
like I used to
the lights flash on and off
the colours
the drift of film
her eyes, narrowed down to slits,
and then seeking the sky
She showed me her bicycle
with a name
a standard
and a fancy pannier
but my head was starting to spin
I'd forgotten how to walk
~ ~ ~
(There's not much
you can do about it)
Ever since leaving home
wherever I've lived
I always put flowers out front
just so passers-by can look
and enjoy
and they always get stolen
not all of them
and not every day
but given that by now
I have a lot of data
significantly, I can confirm
flowers
will be stolen