leaks around its obscuring cloud,
a penumbra in the starless night.
lightening cracks on the horizon...
a drop of rain falls.
trickles
in the gutter --
halted by a tootsie-pop;
cherry flavoured, or maybe strawberry or watermelon.
the reds all look the same
in the sullen illumination
of a dying street lamp.
echoing footsteps of two lovers,
holding hands down the road,
ignorant of the coming storm.
the thumb of one traces an infinite
pattern over the gold band on her third
finger.
rhythmic footsteps that shake
another drop from the sky
traces the track left by the first,
dammed also by the confection.
and on the surface,
a gooey candy surface softened by time,
trudges an ant.
One Ant.
its legs stuck in the sweetness
and the rain falls.