Witness the Street

Witness the street with no one on it, 

the crosswalk signal flashing on and off, 

the little white man still walking,

even with no one around. 

Water collects in potholes, 

forming miniature lakes, 

each surface a stage 

for raindrops to dance. 

It streams down the edges of the road,

then washes over a plastic bag 

stranded halfway through the metal grate. 

The city comes alive in the rain, 

nature coursing over pavement, 

water joining asphalt and concrete.

Caitlin O’Halloran is a biracial Filipino-American writer living in Rochester, New York. Her poetry has been published in literary magazines, including ONE ART, Lost Balloon, The Metaworker, and The Prose Poem. Her fiction has been published in Twin Bird Review. Find her at www.caitlinohalloran.com.