The birds, now only dots,
continue their flight away.
A deep silence settles
in the spaces they left behind.
Like a moment of weakness
in an otherwise perfect day,
sudden rain steps precisely down,
between an afternoon sky
and a summer lawn.
It ends as it had begun,
without transition.
The sun once again
cut short shadows around him.
All but the rain drops hiding in the grass
immediately set about vanishing.
So it was left to his bare feet
to remember the rain.
If he slid his foot forward
cool blades of grass would
catch between his toes.
Progress was slow this way,
but he was in no particular rush.
The boat house behind him
was going nowhere,
and the house before him
would certainly wait.
Besides, the smell of smoke
still lingered about the gun
tucked into his fingers.
Her screams still echoed
in the back of his stomach.
He was in no particular rush.
Better to let the grass brush
away the stains on the soles of his feet.
His other soul, he absently thought,
would need decidedly more work.
