The Bounce

The evening air, a gentle sigh,

I sat and watched the light descend.

Then, carried from somewhere nearby,

a sound that seemed to have no end.

A rhythmic pulse, a steady beat,

the hollow thud on hardened ground.

From empty street to distant street,

that single, solitary sound.

A game played out, a summer’s ease,

by figures I could never place.

Carried upon the cooling breeze,

leaving no visible trace.

It kept its distance, firm and low,

a heartbeat in the coming night.

A simple thing, to come and go,

and fade just out of sight.