Urban Oasis

8:15, Running early;
My legs are stiff and aching, yearning to amble down
the well worn path set before me.
I succumb and proceed.
The air is still
as if time stands still;
the hustle and bustle all stops as moving bodies become still;
without thought, without choice.
The silence is thundering,
only broken by the occasional twitter of birds or scuttle of squirrel
through the trees.
Radiators hum unceasingly to an unheard rhythm that calms and quiets
all restless thoughts.
8:19, Time is flying
though it feels like an eternity.
Seconds are minutes.
Minutes are hours.
Hours, years.
Where has the time gone?
I look up above, searching for an answer.
The sky is blinding, but I can't take my eyes away.
The clouds are floating,
drifting to nowhere.
I suddenly find my hand in the air
grasping at nothing, though I wish it were full of cloud,
taking me away with them.
8:27, I've got to go,
but my legs won't comply.
With an air of urgency, I heave myself up off the muddy bench.
Everything feels so much heavier when forced.
Against my better judgement,
I bid adieu to my secret, little, urban oasis.