You stand in the gray air, br your face a mirror reflecting br the dark shadows of trees. br Clouds drift in the brown water br of your eyes. A smirk squirms br in the corner of your mouth. br Behind you, a yellow blouse br shivers on a clothesline. A crow br hovers in the distance— a black flower br blooming against the cracked sky. br A red ribbon flutters in your hair. br Yet you wave carelessly br as if you don’t feel the wind br like a hand on your shoulder, br as if you don’t notice the rain-filled gutter br overflowing behind you, br the trickle of water like a wristwatch br ticking in your ear. I can hear a cell phone br ringing, an ambulance. My eyes blink br in the black waves of your hair. br A car bumper flickers in your blue dress. br It’s Thursday, May 16th. br Tomorrow they will find your pale body br deep in the brown hush of water.