Leaves in the River

I met a girl on Halloween

She was drunk and I was lost

And it was dark and cold out

When we left

As we walked the rain started

The leaves softened with every step

And all around us people slept

Alone with their dreams

The wind came down from up the plains

And blew the leaves all through the streets

I wondered how far leaves

Could really fly

Would they rest in suburb yards?

Or make it to the city?

Or would they end up in the river

Just to float away?

She pointed to a small black house

And said it was where she grew up

She asked if we could stop for a while

Her hair was still just getting wet

The water running down her neck

Collecting in the handprint of cement

Beneath her feet

Apparently there'd been a death

Someone close had nothing left

Because she hadn't loved him

In the end

I saw her blush when I asked

If she always talked like that

She said it only happened

When she drank

And later on I felt her hand

Slipping into my cold fist

She promised me a kiss

As soon as we got home

Her costume had begun to tear

She ran ahead and turned to me

Her laughter echoed through

The empty streets.