Woman by the Way

I passed a woman on my way to work.

She didn’t notice me, or so I thought.

She was in her garden clipping flowers.

Her hair was braided, dirty blond.

She wore a nightdress that was pink and white.

I guessed that she was nineteen, maybe twenty.

But my guess was wrong. I met her

later when a cinder hit my eye.

She was a doctor. You will be okay,

she said to me with such a weight of knowledge

I was quite relieved. I went home giddily

and late that night went out to water

all the little flowers along my path.