The land is parched.  It hasn’t rained for more than two weeks, and that was just a shower, really.  Clouds gather and pass, rain pummels areas just to the north or south or west, but not here.  Water vapor hangs in the air; the humidity makes the evenings sticky. The ceiling fan keeps up a tinny hum, the slight breeze causing a cooling evaporation on the surface of my exposed skin as I try not to move.  Oh, but if I inch over the cotton sheet, I might find a cooler surface…just there…maybe?

I glance out the window to see if the maple leaves are moving, quivering, even a little bit.  They are still, and the moon is full.  It looks so cool and pale in the dark sea above.  I have to go outside and stand under it.  Perhaps its snow white radiance will bring an icy wind from space.  I invite Steve to join me for a night walk.  I put on just a sheer sundress, slip into sneakers, and grab my camera.  The neighborhood is quiet.  Televisions and air-conditioners keep the people shut up inside their suburban catacombs while we explore the world above…above the rooftops, above the concrete, above the tangible, above and beyond comprehension.  Where we are is no longer “Milwaukee”, it is in space, outside of time, anywhere and everywhere.  We are moving through existence.  We are.