Category: Daily Fifty-Two

This spiral staircase only goes down – a candle dark labyrinth tucked away from the light and the morning blue. There’s a lot of talking. It’s mostly my voice that I hear. I make several cases – mentally game planning a series of conversations. Winding my way down, moments pass, sun-kissed walks go unnoticed.

The morning minutes slip. I watch the sunlight creep across the frosted lawn. There’s traffic on the main road, fast, not heavy. The autumn trees stretch varicose and naked – so thin. Only the pines stand like bushy sentinels in this arctic blue. It’s time to go. It’s time to go. It’s time.

On election night, the sports bar with dozens of TVs plays Fox News. The sun sets early. The bar is darker than usual. Two guys nearby (truckers) say things were good under the former guy – he was a good businessman. They say he’s an asshole but that’s what gets the job done.

With his imperfect understanding of time, the dog doesn’t know we “fell back” an hour. He knows his belly’s hunger. His animal heart and mind like to keep things simple. In this, he is also like a machine – though clearly not a watch. With his whines, I too know his belly’s hunger.

A warm front settles in like feet up on the furniture relaxed. This could be early spring. A squirrel hops through grass that’s started to grow again – trickster weather and nature fooled. We’ll switch back soon enough, cold air hitting with the force of a car accident. Everything stopped short and bracing.

Dark clouds heavy like mountains hurry north and west across the morning sky. They flow the way a river might after strong rains: purposefully swollen with places to go. These could be the large ships from Star Wars, or icebergs – faster than lumbering and thick with intent.  I wonder where they’re going.

Under a three-quarter moon, paper white, a soft wind blows. This isn’t a city and I wish it were. Give me Philly. Give me Memphis. Give me something with a heartbeat more recognizable than this. The moon is right but the streets feel wrong. There’s something off in this thrum and gallop.

Panic. The rusty, steel cable snaps at the bend when the dog pulls. He’s barking at the dogs next door unaware of his momentary freedom.  Spring down the steps, grab the snapped tether, reel him in. I’m sure the sun was rising, and the sky was painterly. It might have been chilly.

No dogs race along fence lines barking. No cars pass at the precise moment of my vulnerability, bent over, bagging poop with the dog doing who knows what leashed behind me. No rabbits scurry in the shadow dark. No crows caw overhead. Just a fleeting moment of peach and rose, day breaking.

I follow the Series from a distance. Friends on a group chat text with enthusiasm. Some of us joke about how great sportsball is – intentionally referencing the wrong sports. I’d like to see the Phillies win; the city come alive. I miss the vibe at Bishop’s Collar – the neighborhood pub on 25th.

The red dots on my phone beckon. Sixteen emails at work, thirty-nine other emails, one LinkedIn, a bunch of likes on a dating app, and two settings about cloud storage. Behind the apps a sunrise scene over an empty field – yellow at the horizon, deep blue top. This could be my foreground.

The leather work gloves look cowboy serious. I’m raking leaves but could just as easily be rustling cattle or fixing the barb wire fence mangled in last spring’s big storm. There is no fence or wild steer – just this rowdy maple rearing up on hind legs, loose and fierce in autumn winds.