do you know what it's like to walk without pain?
how could you, if you never walk with pain?
the sky is always changing
black and blue and white and gray
the clouds have so many textures
and their edges different colors
water flows along the side of the road
washing dirt into miniature banks
sitting slick by the sewer grate
or running clear, down eroded ledges into the river
which runs under driveways and the road
off behind the houses, fenced away
later surfacing again
as an afterthought beside the pavement
you know, the roads really change the way you see
they change what 'terrain' means
no longer hills and forests and valleys
but streets and curves and guard rails
i try to train myself
to see the hills underneath the houses
the spaces between as open
and the forests waiting to spring up
certain birds you only hear in the swamp
certain thoughts you only think
when you're not thinking
i
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