I stood on the back porch watching
rain drip down seamless gutters
and shuttered to think,
this shouldn't be happening

Kate was there as always, so naturally
unaware of her own surroundings;
so intune to her own self and
so good at tuning me out.

In the distance the sky lit up with
lightning, violet and violent,
and I kept my ears open
waiting on the thunder.

The storm was maybe twenty miles away.
She was only inches.
But they both took hours
to get to me.