with his dog circling, the man began shaking a small bottlebrush tree while a roadrunner, its toes locked on an upper branch, held on with the violence as I approached, he looked at me with excited eyes, I want to see it run as I said, Oh, watched for a moment then continued not speaking up that morning years ago and quietly walking away still sits somewhere in the pit of my stomach a lump of indigestible silence

I love it when they stretch long long and lazy in the late afternoon I can almost hear my backyard sigh every lizard and leaf, hummingbird dragonfly and goldfish can punch out of their day job, relax a bit, and turn to more personal, yet necessary things to pick up on the way home while there’s still light I know my mood changes – a slight sadness that another day is ending yet a relief that my errands are done, and I can watch the evening swallow every last shadow and

while out walking, we ask this all the time not knowing how anyone will respond the usual answer they pull out of their shoulder bag is I’m OK or Fine or Alright but if they are so inclined, could stop, lay down and unlock their life’s suitcase and invite you in for a slow rummage describe fresh falls, hearing, eye issues new doctors, procedures, medications infections, viruses, or other illnesses or emotionally, on a scale of 1 to 10, talk happy, sad, depressed or lo