Ritual

To a bent woman tapping her way
past the shaded lawn of each house,
it is important that the rubber tip of her cane

strike every sidewalk square; for her head
to lean forward but never turn back, her buttoned
shoes lifting and settling the weight of her body.

Blood quickens in her veins, the two roads leading
from her heart into the red and blue of a cold morning.

Sharon Hashimoto is a literature and writing instructor at Highline Community College.