Tension and release

The snorting and sneezing of a hose,
A grumbling lawnmower,
Lazy music from a cool patio,
A gurgling stream,
A man sitting on a roof beside a pile of shingles,
Far in the distance: wind chimes.
The sun peeks out from car windows,
From pieces of foil caught in a bush.
It plays a silly game of hide and seek.
A shrill, staccato bird pipes the sketch of an opera,
The road is dull and dusty,
A woman with a yellow road sign, with wisps of hair the colour of bleached logs on the beach, grey and brown, escaping from under an orange helmet.
A black tattoo on her shoulder.
A youth paints a face with a bare back the colour of caramel.
An old, glossy-red sports car with the top peeled back zips in and out of the shade.
A phone rings and no one answers,
A white butterfly flutters across the path,
A potent blue sky and whipped cream clouds,
A crumbling sidewalk,
A canopy, glazed in silver, hisses in the impish breeze.