COAT

I pulled my coat tighter around me;  tighter and tighter until I became one with the fleece lining, one with the waterproof exterior never tested in more than a quick shower, one with the myriad zips and sizeable pockets large enough for a new-born lamb or a single wellington boot, one with a hood that covers all the land bringing perpetual dark, but is nevertheless detachable, reversible or both.  Inside the long sleeves, I clenched my fists and cursed the chance events that had brought me there: an overheard remark, a wrong turning, a shopping list with too many items, a double kiss on the blue ball, a defective unit at Warren Street.  The future came hurtling towards me, and I ran to embrace it like a long-lost love.