A gang of toddlers run wild on a sunny hillside. They chase a yellow and orange soccer ball with dinosaur decal panels. Three boys race in wobbly circles like a small swarm. Legs and arms tangle when they fall in a heap giggling and squirming. They tornado back towards the picnic tables.

The last sip of coffee is cold. The sky is gray, and the breeze is soft. My verbs are softer. Being versus action… this is a morning of little action and mostly being. Quiet observations in the half-light of an overcast dawn. Things are. The ground is wet. The birds are squawking.

Dark trees dance in the gusty wind. The storm lights up the distant sky. It’s late. In the half-awake sofa dream, a man adjusts the rigging on a sinking sailboat. I want to watch the lightning. Instead, I only catch the thunder. Trees tilt back and forth. Heavy eyes. Lightning. Thunder crack.

Isolated raindrops plink the metal table. A steady shower starts – not heavy, but consistent. The sun is out. I move to the windows looking for rainbows. For no reason, I try to remember when a friend passed away. I can’t find it online. I think about him anyway. Eventually, the rain stops.   

A blood-red sun burns in the haze that colors the mountains blue. This is the long drive home in the summer evening light. I arrive just after dark. The house is empty in all the spots the dog would occupy. The house is empty in all the spots the dog would occupy.

Midday sun and sea breeze. Gulls stalk and squawk and soar away. In a low-slung chair I squint at the horizon, bulldoze piles of sand with my feet. Everything is muffled by waves – the plane overhead, the children screaming in play, the sirens in the distance. The shells are mostly broken here.

The mix of stale cigarette smoke and mid-level cigars smells like desperation and bravado. One more hand, one more pull of the slot arm. Everyone here is one hand away from winning big. The lights dazzle. There’s club music in the background punctuated by bells and electronic chimes. Welcome to Atlantic City

The blue wristband indicates I’m part of a club – a select group of people crazy enough to sit in the heat listening to blues music. Bucks County Blues Festival. We drank the beers. We sat in the sun. We reapplied the lotion.  Eventually, the rain and lightning sent everyone home. Us too.

By all appearances, it’s a normal day. The sun shines bright. Clouds drift from left to right. We take the longer walk around the neighborhood – the one reserved for weekends and extra sniffing. We linger at the good spots. Extra treats and hugs too. Only one of us knows this is goodbye.

The toaster oven ticks. I’m staring. I’m thinking about when I come home from being away for a few days. I can see myself opening the door, bending down, anticipating the dog – a reflex. His bed is gone. The house is quiet. Snapping out, I remember I’m supposed to be pouring coffee.