On asphalt slickened by rain

Sometimes happily ever after is hard to find

On asphalt slickened by rain





The stars burn coldly on a moonless night,

and the wind softly moans an ancient mode.

Treeless leaves crackle beneath my feet,

each breath's a dagger cloaked in steam. Clumsily

I crash a path through the woods to find my-

self standing on a bluff overlooking my house.

While remnants of this morning's business

drone on inside, I remember that spring

when we laughed at the laces of my shoes

and swam in the sunlight—when our naked

feet skidded across the moss greened rocks

like tires on asphalt slickened by the rain.