Appearances

As I stood at the light at City Hall,

I observed what appeared to be

a woman,

walking her dog

on the far side of the street

along the warming, red bricks

of the Journal-World building.

Upon reflection, if appeared

that she was holding her hand

away from her body

to avoid getting cigarette smoke

on her skirt,

the dog was only

her shadow on the wall,

and the appearance of a pulling leash

merely her effort to balance

as she walked on high heels.

The woman turned and vanished,

shadow and all, down the alley.

From the silhouette of her legs

it had appeared

that she was an attractive woman.

But who am I

to judge a woman

on fleeting appearances.

As the light changed,

a shadow appeared

to help a blind man

to the other side

of the street.