Insinuated Mutineers

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.