Paving Stones Where a Wet Petal Stayed

The scent of rain-wet cherry petals wouldn't scatter all morning. It seems to vanish when I stand still, but each time I move it catches up with me again. I'm glad I left the umbrella behind. The smell soaked into my sleeves still hasn't gone. Yellow paving stones were reflected in a puddle at the end of the alley. When I lift my foot, ripples spread and it goes still again. That one petal that was stuck to the wet paving seems to have followed me, right here under my feet. It was probably glistening in the morning sun, still holding its moisture. Almost touching my toes, almost not, it slid along after me all the way to the end of the alley. For a moment the sky in the puddle and the paving stones were the same color. Before my toes reached that line, the petal crossed over first.