Not what I expected

a year ago

...all thoughts suddenly gather...

The shadow chases the side of the bus as we pass between streetlights. It crawls up along side and then falls back, constant indecision, rocking back and forth, as we speed and slow, weave and break, through evening traffic.

You get to know the road in the dark, the way it pulls up or down, the curves and intersections, the pieces that float by—fronts of stores and houses, garage doors, and lights, like rubble floating along in the dark.

And there are these days, unexpected in the midst of winter, suddenly warm and rainy. When I find at the end of a ride home that I've been staring out the window, smiling.

I Remember

And I went to write
Because my days were full
And overflowing

And I had to smile
Because I thought of you
And loved myself for knowing

And I stopped to pray
Because I could not keep
This sparrow heart from singing

And I held the day
And sure enough
St. Mary's bells were high above the town

And ringing

...

Linford Detweiler