April fool

i

Identities of shoe-prints interwove
The textiles of city apathy. 
The people, like tides, gushed
Up, then subsided—they went separate
Ways—and as they passed each other, 
Their umbrellas gave closer hugs
Than the strangers would ever embrace.

ii

Olfactory stimulants layered
A meshwork of rain, coffee, 
And scents from the Big City—at
This peculiar time I thought of
The dead masses of azaleas, which 
Carpeted the road to April schooldays
And soft city haze.

iii

It'd be hard to say
Whether the journey in the subway train
Was longer or the springtime rain—
For both were daily necessities, and
Very oft one could find my footsteps trailing, 
And lingering amongst the crowd of coats, 
Like a little boat in a vast ocean.

iv

I drifted—because
It pained me to know
That one person was missing
From those fluttering faces
Of sickly traffic—until I
Anchored myself on my tired soles
And stood still for that eleven meagre seconds.

v

Nobody would be too surprised
If you were there, and gave no
More than a glance—but I, being 
Completely enticed, could
Leave myself in the shattering rain
Just for a look—and oh, even
That would suffice.

Dale Chou
2001-04-04