I'm standing on the curb facing oncoming traffic

It's late on a Sunday afternoon and the streets are empty because everyone else has somewhere better to be and it's started to rain

It's not even real rain, just the kind that weak summer sun spits aimlessly for a few minutes as a reminder that not even the universe can make up its mind half the time

It's not even wet enough to mess up my hair or stain my clothing. The drops are so weightless that they rest on the tips of my eyelashes before disappearing…

As I rounded the corner, traffic on either side of the white line stood still, but the flashing, glaring, red hand on the other side of the street told me to wait, stay put, take a minute to watch where I'm going

One second, two seconds, three minutes…the streets are empty, cars without drivers wait, humming

A month, a year, the last time I was home and saw people on the streets…

…four seconds, ten seconds, green light



Traffic rolls on by and I realize I had more than enough time to cross the street
Funny how time passes when you're busy being safe