After The Storm

expect butterfliesgasping for atmosphereand tiny gnats annoying with theirpersistence to survivea weed peeks out from the concreteand begsthe bootto stompelsewhere

a single leafplummets from the branch that istoo long, too strongfor the city street

snowflakes can dazzlerain can rip open the heartbecause the memory of riversis strongand everyone arrivessooner or latercrawling, climbing, dancingout of the waterout from the storm