Nickee Coco and the Invisible Tree

once on cherry street i looked down an alleyway. the wind was picking up and it was about to rain. no not rain, pour. the kind of rain you could smell at least a half hour before the moisture hits. the kind of wind that makes the eaves rattle, and decorative pinwheels spin into a whistle. there were newspapers there. and old leaves that were left over even after the winter. they were spinning up towards thinnly paned windows on the 3rd story.

i looked down my throat in the mirror and saw that alleyway today. i feel unsettled, physically, emotionally. if i could throw up i would.

but I'm not looking for pity, just peace of mind. i walked past the turban house, and looked deeply up the poplars thinking nickee must be up there somewhere, and as i walked i fell off the sidewalk. its silly not to watch where you're going. as if finding nickee is really all that important. the owl found her, but only once he wasn't waiting for it.