Paper-lantern pattern
of white sky, cut
by the one bare tree between
the evergreens.
A ball is thrown back and forth
between two small boys.
Mothers push swaddled strollers
down the path, past the picnic tables.
The gait of a lone woman walking;
the dart of anxious finches —
This is
how the heart behaves:
The child chasing a white pigeon
in the distance, its bewildered wings
flashing like temper.
mabel lee 