Apparition

Golden light

late afternoon

an apparition

in my driveway

Two angels?

I walk towards them

No

Two damsels

and a dog

Hi, I'm Shalynne

this is my friend Shawna

my dog's name is Sissy

'cause he's always afraid

of new people

but he's not afraid of you

he usually growls

we're from Edmonton

my dad's a trucker

he promised

to take us with him

if we passed our year

at school

we've been to Vancouver

and Texas

do you have any horses?

No

Do you have any other animals?

A cat

not sure where she is right now

some chickens

So we're off to see the chickens

and the cat if we can find her 

Soon

screams of innocence

delight

laughter

and squawks

from perplexed chickens

echo through the chicken pen

At last

I tire

of restraining Sissy

and bid farewell

to the maidens

Thanks

can we come again?

Well sure

if you're ever back

this way

you're welcome

And they leave as they came

I watch as they vanish

in the now setting sun

Two girls

from a far-off city

Two girls

on their way to growing up

and loss of innocence

I turn towards home

my memories mingled

I am thankful

for this unexpected encounter

awakening memories of childhood

and trust

and hope

© Régis Auffray