A Solid Reroute

Headed past the driveway gate and walked down to the neighborhood diner lot to clear my head. Spotted a flimsy aluminum gutter downspout disconnected at the elbow, dumping a stream of gritty wash water straight over the pedestrian walkway toward the storm grate. Folks walking by were bound to slip on the slick runoff. I spotted a discarded, heavy terracotta roof tile half-buried in the gravel border. Hauled it out, set my feet firm on the asphalt, and wedged the curved clay tile right beneath the open spout mouth. Angled the trough straight into the dirt bed away from the foot traffic. Water rushed down the clay channel, clean and contained. Path's dry now.