Birdwatching

      puerta corrediza

      Behind the sliding glass door, a cinderblock wall

      bloque de ceniza

      demarcates a small concrete patio.

      tangible

      A window-shaped opening frames a shrub

      oportunidad

      of many branches growing on the slope,

      sucursales

      Or is intended to frame, if intentionality can be attributed to a hole,

      incriminar

      The shrub, like all living things, surpasses the wall’s edges.

      barreras

      Two dirt-covered outdoor chairs, of a hue

      autoridades sombra

      of blue that wavers between deep sky blue and azure,

      triste ondear en medio de

      Facing each other and empty, their colors mirror

      vano su carácter

      the plastic in the abandoned dustpan and broom at the outer edge,

      perdido

      tilting toward the soil, as if to sweep it up.

      redada

      The cleaning liquid’s solvents discolored the chairs

      autoridades

      Three chemical agents account for the faded hue:

      desvanecido

      denatured alcohol, methyl alcohol, and ethyl acetate.

      estrechos

      Four continuous, discrete sounds, all announcing nothing: a screech, a hammering, a siren, a buzz.

      nereida cuchicheo, telefonazo

      hacer chatarra de nervios

      Totaling five. The top edges of the patio’s walls and an angular adjaacent roof jut against the landscape to bring geometry into sharper focus. The building knows what to do there.

      penetrante