Please

No.

No Smoking.

No Parking.

Positively No Parking.

And
definitely
no bad behavior,
because cameras are recording
even me, meandering around empty
​back allies in Hanover, NH
on this cold day
​in May.

There
are cracks
in the sidewalk...

and bricks everywhere
provide structure.

Yellows
seem particularly
​pronounced,

warnings
inspiring discomfort,

until
I look down
& see these leaves
emerge from
the grate...

and this
tree in a small
garden in the midst 
of it all,

and 
the word
​Please.

Please.
One word,
simple & inviting.
Threats disappear. No
more cold and fear.
Just one word.
Please.