All Who Wander

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It certainly was nice of the city
to redo the benches along
this walkway.

I’ve been telling them for years that
what draws people to the parks
is the moment where they can
still down for just long enough
to hear the bird-brides in the trees
and the lake nymphs sing-song
making the waves kiss our feet.

You can’t catch it if you’re running.

You have to sit, and close your eyes,
and take in breeze like an old lover’s ash.
That’s why the benches are the draw.

That’s why I don’t leave.
Some people tell me I’m lost.
I disagree.
I’m waiting for the perfect moment
when someone sits down next to me
on these perfect benches
and hears the story the trees
and the lake,
and the rushing rain,
and the grimacing dogs and cats
whisper to me when I sleep.

-JR Simmang

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