Asphalt Shimmered in the Lane

No percussion, rubato

Close, dry, forward

Dusk, Closing the Day

The steering wheel was hot to hold. The sun was fierce and bright and bold. The asphalt shimmered in the lane. The blinding light was hard to bear. The grass turned straw beside the curb. No quiet moment to disturb. A threshold crossed without a word. The loudest hum you ever heard. My body knew before my mind. The heavy hours we left behind.

A warm wind rises from the south. It brings a dryness to the mouth. It moves the leaves high in the tree. It pulls the dark right down to me. The night is where I want to stay. I close the door upon the day.

Reflecting on the Heat

I planned my walk from shade to shade. I watched the colors start to fade. My heavy shirt refused to dry. The sun burned hot up in the sky. That long bright afternoon is done. The endless hours of blinding sun. Now dusk is settling on the lawn. I do not look ahead to dawn.

A warm wind rises from the south. It brings a dryness to the mouth. It moves the leaves high in the tree. It pulls the dark right down to me. The night is where I want to stay. I close the door upon the day.

Turning Toward the Night

Sparse vocal, wordless in places

Cicadas layer sound on sound. Their heavy crying fills the ground. The crescent moon shows through the gaps. The shadows fall in quiet maps. The tree shade stretches on the yard. The day was long, the day was hard. Sound carries far into the dark. The evening leaves its quiet mark. The humid air comes from the coast. The shade is what I wanted most.

A warm wind rises from the south. It brings a dryness to the mouth. It moves the leaves high in the tree. It pulls the dark right down to me. The night is where I want to stay. I close the door upon the day.

resolve normally

The shadows stretch from tree to tree. The quiet darkness covers me. The air comes heavy from the Gulf. The night is deep, the dark is safe. I leave the blinding hours behind. And rest the body and the mind.

resolve normally