Today

Today, perfect by all definitions. Unseasonably warm weather means a taste of summer months early. The sun's rays wrap around like a blanket dried in its very warmth, afternoon breezes skirt the cheek like a lover's hand.

Taking advantage, we tarried at the park, reading and dreaming, limbs bared to the sky for a guilty chance at color. Later, steaks on the barbecue waft to our attic, Carmenere legs melting in the setting sun. Doves mourn the fading light, robins' heads tilt toward greening grass. A jet plane trains by, blinking west.

Nearby, a dog yips as a boy pedals his bike, its wheels retarded by cards in the spokes. Vroom, vroom, vroom, whir. Out back, a paned window moans open with kitchen curtains fluttering. Voices decry an unexpected smoke alarm. A disco jockey celebrates the weather and announces the next song. Laundry is collected and we reluctantly head inside.