Sun

Magnolia trees are flowering

Mid afternoon

Someone calls out hello

from quiet street as she walks by

Not too loud, not too deep

mild Ozzie accent

Some friendly guy, blue t-shirt

keys so shiny in his hand

just entering his silver truck

Quick no-mask sidewalk-distanced chat ensues

about . . . the brilliant day

surprising warmth

how spring smells sweet

how sweet spring smells

from pale blooms

bursting

swaying

in fair spring air

She says the trees a block away are sweeter still

points down the road to where they meet

the bigger, older, stronger trees

where blossom-covered branches arch

stretch out thick to touch each other there

high above the people and the cars

white petal canopy aglow

against a clear blue sky

Quite soon they part

and she walks briskly on

while, opposite direction

slowly he drives off

inside his shiny truck

down the road

off toward those bigger trees

Some mobile minutes pass —

she turns a corner, walks a block

and then his silver truck appears anew

nears, slows, stops

Thank you he says

and, as she looks/smiles/thumbs-up waves

by the way, you're beautiful, he says

And she says thanks as well

Bit shocked

bit frightened

but elated too

Bends down at once

conceals herself

behind the rampant roadside hedge

acts out a sudden need to fix her shoe

keeps on cringing, crouching down

keeps fixing nothing, out of sight

nothing to be fixed

keeps being nothing, out of sight

'til she can peer through tufty green

see shiny silver move and blur

at last — long time it seems —

can hear him slowly drive away

***