Once lively peonies now
wind-weary, and ragged
at the edges, hang their heavy
crowns; rain on their backs,
one final act, before
detaching from the stem
and falling down.

And more than that, she just looked… tired. Like she’d battled the world and the world had won.

what if there was an uncanny moment when all the birds were grounded from Cape Town to Juneau, and everywhere between--all feathers frozen in a universal stutter, so quick as to make a snail of light, and even Stephen Hawking's mind would miss it?

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

He may take long walks
in the raining dark
almost aimlessly
to a spot of soaked grass
in a neighbor’s open field.
He’s decided this is the place
for you and him to meet again.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown
William Shakespeare