She sat on the bench
facing the wrong
direction, watching the
path she hadn't taken.
The afternoon light
settled on the empty
swings. A dog ran past
with someone else's joy.
She didn't feel sad,
exactly — just
unarrived, as if her
life were happening one
train station over and
she kept missing the
announcement. A breeze
moved through the trees.
It didn't solve
anything, but it touched
her shoulder like an old
friend who knew not to
ask.