a girl kneeling in the grass

suddenly i taste it

salty water from my eyes

unknowingly weeping

i pause my run in stark surprise

sit by the road and contemplate the quail

calling at me fearfully

their thicket close around them

what do they have to hide?

lambs calling to their mothers

bells chiming, clouds gathering above

it’s as good as day as any for us all to be alive

a storm on the horizon, tears welling in our eyes