sarah masen
at night
by mud on Tue Oct 05 23:24:52 +0000 2004 in Melting Pot
Off the shine of expired rain,
colors ran long down the black night.
I saw the shadow of a woman in coat and heels running down the middle of the street, red traffic lights flashing above. She stopped, reached down for something. She then turned and walked away, her umbrella flopping at her side like a half dead bat.
I made my way up the sidewalk and noticed a peculiar scene. The lights were still on in the old Korean restaurant. Through the window I saw only two patrons, a man and a woman, facing each other. She said something, but he didn’t reply – he only stared. The woman extended her hand, palm up, toward the man. He only stared.
Her face was strained, her wet hair flat to her head and face. She swallowed hard. She was shivering. She lowered her hand and rested it. In her palm was a ring. She took it with her other hand, holding it between thumb and index finger. She reached for the man’s hand that lay flat and turned down on the table. He pulled away.
The rain began falling again. I lifted my umbrella – pushed the button and it opened up above me.
As I walked away, I noticed that on the floor by her chair lay a dead bat.
