I

I jog past a baby bird
sprawled on the sidewalk.
Its wings are spread fan like
and its legs lie to the side
as they do in fossils
when delicate life
ebbs into the rock.

        II

As I go on, I see
a little boy and his father.
The boy runs ahead toward some steps.
Sternly father says "Wait! Stop!"
and quickens his pace
as the boy takes the first step
then the next, then turns,
lifts his hand to his father,
lifts his smile to his father.
For a moment I am a young father
and you are again a little boy,
a joyous, adventurous being
sharing his aliveness with me.

        III

I am in love.
She quickly corrects me.
We are just friends.
I think of love,
of time and fossils
and of delicate life
that ebbs slowly
into the rock.