Day Four

Gray skirts of afternoon trail

wind chimes, curled leaves, and

the rhythmic wooden thump

of cars above the pedestrian walkway.

Beneath the bridge--strange world

of sand, tire swings, and signage placing

the risk entirely on those at play.

Coffee shop festooned with colored lights--

men at the bar discuss anime and Lord of the Rings.

A man with tattoos on his forehead and soft black eyes

offers to buy me a drink.

Lured by a glimpse of lake,

I get lost and unlost

and come again to a place

almost too new to be home.