No actors.
No bird songs, no squirrels,
no lumbering groundhogs,
no deer eyes soft among trees.

Only things acted upon,
rustling leaves,
water dripping from a downspout,
a shadow moving with the sun.

The scene was
fauna free.

Then a house fly landed on my ankle,
walked around, minding his business,
and expanding mine.

Finally,
a being that shares the joy of self-locomotion.

Summer/2022