The wind picked up, and the tree growing through the concrete next to me shivered loudly. The leaves seemed to panic as they fled.  The tree panicked. I panicked.
I wanted to help scoop up all the leaves, and give them back to the tree. I started to run about, all crouched and tingly and hot, grabbing at the lost yellow things.
With my arms full, I looked up at the emptying branches.. and flung. The tree dropped every leaf I had found, and in the commotion even more seized their chance to jump and fall. As I searched the dark wet air, urging the hands and feet of those around me into some kind of frantic help, my bus came swishing up the street. We'd both of us failed for yet another year.

The tree sighed. I sighed. And we both sank a little deeper into the concrete.