For three long days
that patch of hardened mud
was cordoned off
by the Department
of Public Works:
One to fell the tree
whose roots had lifted
the sidewalk;
one to demo the concrete
that posed a tripping hazard;
one to plant a sapling
and pour a fresh slab.
In the midst
of local turmoil
for the lesser half
of a week
we all became
amateur urban planners
unable to manage
our own little lives
easily forgetting
what the City
and the calendar
had in store:
A full moon
that had us all
off our paths.
