Amu was walking home
in a bright starry summer night
She was in love with gusting wind
What a relief it was
For a while she could just stare
and go where her legs led her
She knew she had to hurry home
She let her thoughts wander
while her feet walked on
It was a busy city street
with flash lights and noises
of all kinds of machines
the living and the non-living
She walked on, oblivious to the sound
As she passed a busy crossing
She almost missed the old woman sitting on the edge of the road
There was a sense of stillness in her
She was not in despair
She was not lost
It was not her home
Nor was she waiting to go somewhere
As Amu walked past her, she turned back to look at her
She wanted to ask her legs to stop
but the algorithm wouldn't permit
Amu heard someone calling her to stop
She looked back but there was no one
She wanted to wait and absorb the silence
But she feared
All those glorious years of education
advised her not to stop
and she didn't
She looked back never the less
and told herself
May be I should live for that day
when I dare to stop
