The road crew assembled some using a push broom sweeping into edges of K-rails placed to stem the Laurel Canyon hillside mudbath's doom Customers convened sipping coffee on the patio occasionally glancing up from their I-phones their soon to come up number signaled by the waving of a rag reflecting in the freshly waxed glow Average consumers ventured outside again in relief rushing around madly in their self absorption oblivious to the promise of the covenant rainbow or even reinstating a hint of belief The vending machine stocker whistled down the hallway claiming to himself he merely liked the echo while the gray pallor faced city mortician caught a ghostly brief reflection of his white labcoat spraying disinfectant on the steel table having just finished attaching the final tag on the toe of Portland's frozen homeless pulled out of store's doorway- Crazy bag lady Mary-Machine gunner veteran Tom- Schizoid babbler Dick Changey n' one John Doe. 1-13-2017 Duncan R. M. Ferguson