leaf...

an elm tree stands across the street from my place of toil. today, because things were slow, i watched the tree. the trunk. behind the elm is a gum tree. the leaves mesmerize. along the base of the elm the curb is painted red. the curb was in shadow. and then i saw a leaf?? a leaf like a gum tree leaf. in the road. yellowed. a dead one. and it was laid horizontal. it was floating. and then it began to spin in this same horizontal position. sometimes very fast. then it would stop on edge so that it appeared to disappear. appeared to disappear. appeared to disappear. then back again. when the wind was strongest in the top of the tree, and all of the shadows along the streets jolted, the leaf spun impossibly fast. i watched for a few minutes, leaning on my elbow, and then the leaf vanished! completely gone. i waited but it never returned. and then i realized it was not a leaf. just a trick. somewhere in the tree's crown there was a tiny gap that let the light through. this was my leaf. a leaf made entirely of light.