White Roses

Mid-morning sunlight
White roses climbing the fence
Next to the driveway

On a Saturday in May
A rooster pecks at the ground

"It's in the details,"
The lawyer looks at the case,
Sifting evidence

Of geological time
Displayed on the canyon walls

Snow on the ledges
Shadows rapidly lengthen
As days quickly pass

Her daughter is a stranger
With friends and views of her own

Light from the stained glass window
And candles of remembrance

Mingling with the sharp incense
And the sound of falling leaves

Rolling down the street
On his well-dented skateboard
Jumping the high curb

Busy shoppers holding bags
Purchases from here and there

Moonlight can't compare
With the glow of the city
Or the internet

This is their first face to face
They first met in cyberspace

What will people read
From the books published today
Centuries from now?

"It don't matter anyhow,
I know you didn't mean it."

The afternoon heat
Makes it hard to concentrate,
To apologize

At the fountain by the store
In the city's public square

There's a rainbow in the air
Between clouds of gray and white