all in a minute

today, a friend of mine found me in the park as i lay with my bare befreckled back facing the sky. a quick hi there and some words i don't remember, nor need to. he walked away and i was happy because it had seemed long since the last hello.

but serenity is so short.

laughing and pacing and cracking leaves balanced on the january green, a stranger in reflective shades pointed in his direction. "i can tell, i can tell..." he trailed off into a broken cackle characteristic of men who know they are smarter than they are. "he rehearsed for three, three hours before coming to- i can tell!- coming to talk to you." he stayed near, repeating and uttering disjointed nothings. then a lavender lady in a wide-brimmed sun hat with a ribbon that ran off it and down her spine passed. we both watched her. his antics ended. trying to dislodge a frisbee, a child lost his thrown shoe in a tree. and i lingered in simple flattery.