Sidewalk

My dreams found me walking one night in the city. I was alone, but not alone. The pavement was slightly damp, as from a recent rain. All the aromas in the night air were intensified, thereby, and I knew another had recently preceded me upon this darkened sidewalk. The night was balmy and breezeless, but yet my skin felt cool. The stars were faint points above the hazed glow of the streetlamps.

I walked and I walked; though I passed not another on my path, I continued to walk. I sensed presences all along, but saw no one. Were they hidden away in the alleys or in the buildings looming above me? Were they crouched inside doorways or high above on balconies? Were they extant on another plane? In another time? I knew not the answer, only that they were . . .

I remember how the sidewalk breathed with the traces of those who had gone before and, I suspected, those who had yet to come. Though the sidewalk should never be confused with the ultimate destination, I knew I was headed in the right direction.

insquequo deinde ~93