the sidewalk

I wish every road
had a sidewalk,
a place to slow down
or pause,
to smell the resilience
of wild grass
growing amid the dross,

I wish every road
had a sidewalk,
a place where feet and hands
can rest in an embrace,
where eyes meet themselves
in silent wells,
dipping into a deathly pace,

I wish every road
had a sidewalk,
where hearts can hear
their own drumbeats,
where nods and smiles
and queer passers by,
touch lives with their simple grace.