Everyday Bellingham rain

evolves into a dark onslaught,

bats down lilies of the valley,

smashes the koi pond like bullets.

 

She finds twenty dollars.

Graffiti  advice:  love.

Running now, high heels wobble on rutted

alley pavement.  She pauses, slips off shoes.

Leaning against a dumpster,

she finds a sparkling bracelet.

 

Numb, she turns to the stars and new moon.

Foreign languages buzz around her.

She runs the pain of others

to the bay

where Carla gives her kindness.

They hold hands

and stand on a billboard.

C.J. Prince

@2016