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A Small Surprise
On my morning walk, which is
Adjacent to the river,
A small surprise is sometimes what
The city does deliver.
So yesterday, I heard a thump,
Metallic, so I slowed,
Expecting that a hubcap flew
From somewhere on the road.
Instead, I saw a sewer cover
Quaking as it rose
And crashed back down above a spot
Where the East River flows.
Thought number 1: a creature
Would be rising from the deep
And then his scaly self into
My neighborhood would creep.
Thought number 2: a prisoner
(Like “Shawshank”) would break free
Because from Rikers Island
There’s a chance that it could be.
Thought number 3: the river (high)
Would suddenly erupt
And shoot that cover skyward
In a manner most abrupt.
In any case, I hurried on
Without a backward glance,
Not willing, having had those thoughts,
To take the slightest chance.
Copyright ©
Ilene Bauer
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