Last Roses

The roses in the hood have been making a last ditch effort at beauty. These ones hang over the sidewalk on my way to work, if only I walk a particular route. I have been pausing to take in a whiff of their subtle scent every morning, but one morning last week a self-conscious neighborhood dude was ambling by, and so I had to cross the street, making me acutely aware of the limited number of days this pleasure is left to me this autumn.