Thirty dome-shaped canopies
slanted parallel to the hill, pointed into the rain,
trudge along, moving past one another like proteins across a membrane.

Against the grey backdrop, the transparent drops
blur the scene, making each body’s movement seem agitated
and choppy, like the uneven spatter of drops striking my parasol.

From the top of this hill,
each moving entity could pass for lifeless
until a cloud of smoke escapes
from the shelter of one of the pods.

Legs extend from under their armor,
ankles drenched, calves speckled
from each step hitting the shimmering ground and turning over.

The sidewalk’s cracks subdivide the gleam,
And the sediment they’ve trapped now moves with the rain.

The leaves bend with each drop, and bounce back
as a boxer takes a blow and recovers—
only to be beaten again.

The buildings are grand, blurry masses with grimy windows.
Their edges and angles seem indefinite

as thirty dome-shaped canopies
slanted parallel to the hill, pointed into the rain
trudge along, moving past one another
like proteins across a membrane.