a feeling of depth

the sun is just about down. most of my side of the road is in the shadow of the wheat. which is about waist high. i’m looking at the compacted small stones that make up the road. my feet are on the white line on the side of the road. i’m balancing on a line of paint on the side of the road. i look at the stones massed together as pavement. after awhile, there’s a feeling of depth, from just looking.
some movement catches my eye. from here, it looks like movement between the entirely inseparable first and second layers of stone. a trick of compactness, light, time and my eyes adding information to something that is purely a solid simple surface.
cement.
pavement.
a red ant.
crawling across, dashing back and forth towards the center of the road. to the slightly raised yellow line in the center of the road. the red ant waddles to the center line, just above where the shadow cuts off. the sun illuminates his body translucent.
the ant glows.
the yellow line glows beneath it.
the red ant startles a slight fly perched there.

the ant halts momentarily and then turns and wanders back between the second and first layers of pavement.

when the next car passes, i lose the ant.