She strode through the crosswalk
tucked in smoke colored fur
snug against the fog
sinking
down
on the pavement.

She made her way through
bodies weaving, almost
careening
into one another, their
faces
turning to follow.

Caught
at the stop-light,
I saw my space in traffic,
couldn’t stop
to confirm
I’d really seen it.

Caught
in the procession of
cars and people, briefly
out of sync

she moved
with purpose
head high,
tail
curled
in a perfect
question.

What if
I thought,
eyes darting
from the
rear-view
to the
tail-lights  —

blink —

rear-view
green-arrow
go

What if
she was more real
than the rest of us
slipping
like run-off through our
engineered channels?

What if
she was
as human, except
in a split-
second glance revealed
Her true
Goddess
nature?

What if
she’d never
really been there at all
except in the moment
that I chose to see

What if
she were
a message
to the Goddess
striding
with purpose
in me?

[Shannon Connor Winward’s writing has appeared in many venues including: Pedestal Magazine, Flash Fiction Online, Strange Horizons, Illumen, This Modern Writer [Pank Magazine],the Witches and Pagan Magazine and Sagewoman subscriber’s newsletters, and the anthologies Twisted Fairy Tales: Volume Two (Wicked East Press), Jack-o’-Spec: Tales of Halloween and Fantasy (Raven Electrik Ink) and Spec-tacular: Fantasy Favorites from Raven Electrick Ink.  Her poem, “All Souls’ Day” has been nominated for a 2012 Rhysling Award.  To read her accounts of writing, witchery, mommyhood, and general sassiness, stop by her blog.]