in the rain

Nov 16, 2025

A delivery robot rolled across a crosswalk in the rain, its sensors detecting the cross traffic, vehicles waiting at the red light, pedestrians walking to and fro with and against it (umbrellas briefly shielding it), and, presumably, me, waiting to turn right. The robot must have been decalibrated by the rain, stopping and starting, moving forward one foot at a time. And through this process I waited, watching as it attempted to discern a safe passage—one that was never in jeopardy.