I set out, armed with a black ball-point pen
The cool night air firms my skin
I go where my shoes lead
Pausing by the storm drain
I imagine if my pen were to fall in
I would be disarmed
Suddenly a huge owl rises up
Two feet in front of my face
I step back, we hoot at each other
He flies off, then comes around again
Thrice he flies up to me, face to face
I marvel at our braveness
Onward up the road
Artificial dew lines the streets
The consequence of the sprinklers synchronized dance
The street is silent
Barking rings out in the distance
A car approaches, headlights illuminate me
I wonder how my black ball-point appears
As a magic wand? Hocus Pocus! I imagine it's use
I walk on, my shoes pulling me farther
The barking grows louder with a chorus
It sounds closer, then I see a large sign
Animal Care Center , City of Irvine
The janitors are carrying a vacuum cleaner to their car
A homesick dog gives a long, drawn out howl
My shoes take me farther
Ant hill after ant hill, the size of surfboards
They grow against the crevice of the sidewalk and sandbags
The sandbags are the only sand I see as I approach Sand Canyon Avenue
My shoes turn and start to take me back
An old Patsy Cline tune fills my mind
I go out walking, after midnight, out in the moonlight…
The moon hangs low tonight, half strength
I can only just now see it above the mountains
Closer to my dwelling, my shoes bring me
Two fat rabbits meet me at the gate
As they twitch their noses, I fancy their thoughts
Run, sit, run, sit, which one, run, sit, run, sit
I climb my stairs, my legs are relieved to sit
~Kristi Miles (June 2005)