Invisible Birds

I pass the mural on the seawall.
It has faded into streaks of green.
I tighten my collar against the wind.
Tracing the cracks with my fingers,
I feel nervous in the uncertain light.
I keep walking, stepping over garbage,
Clumps of algae, tangles of wire.
I pass the pier where men
Cast lines for catfish, the sun sinking,
The first of them leaving, shaking their heads.