The evening, from a park bench

Tonight I find myself with twenty minutes to myself, before meeting some friends for dinner. I sit on a bench in the park down the street from my childhood home, with a book and a wandering mind, enjoying the warmth of this late summer evening. From where I sit, I can see a group of girls do exercises with hand weights, lunging backwards, a couple toss a frisbee on the long lawn the park, and an older man walk his large black lab past my seat. I hear the metallic pop of a little boy practicing t-ball with his dad, a pair of girls gossip, and the distant sounds of pee-wee soccer practice.

The golden light gives way to longer shadows. I remember the time before the paths were paved, and a sense memory of riding my bike over the gravel rises in my mind. The pool, where I spent so many hours as a kid, looks the same and absurdly small. I remember the previous times I have sat in this spot, or near it, with friends, alone with a book, watching the fireworks on the Fourth of July. So many childhood memories are locked in this block, between the elementary school, the library, and the park. All those little moments that created who I am today.

Comments

[Kristen]

<3

In other news, here is a public art project that I think you'd enjoy: Sukkah City

[blue girl]

Nice post, Claire.