we dilly-dallied at Gateway Gardens
(on the east side of town)
admiring summer flowers,
following a maze with enough turns
to make us both a wee bit dizzy,
and skirting around families
taking high school graduation photos
as well as others with children
still of an age to seek out
every single attainable garden wall,
hand held or not,
and march its length.
we placed our brunch order
at Chez Genese on South Elm
and sat on a butterfly bench in the sunshine
~ ~ ~
waiting for curbside pickup
~ ~ ~
contemplating the nearby protest art,
the weight of which is experienced
every day
every hour
every minute
ticking seconds on an internal clock
by people of color
t h i n k
where are my hands
hood down, pants up, music soft, smile on,
receipt in hand, purchase in bag
where are my hands
t h i n k
Chez Genese ^^^
Elsewhere (my other favorite place)
the murals continue to evolve
along Elm Street
hopefully we all will, too
