New York City, May 22, 2014

★ Wet patches darkened the bare concrete pillars of the new tower, and the street below was darkened completely. The rain was coming and going, so irregularly and in air so humid that it scarcely made a difference. Was the drip inside the B train condensation from the air conditioner or trapped rainwater? The soggy air grew chillier. At the end of the workday, a funk of damp bodies — sweat and grooming products — stuck to the lower platform at 59th Street. On the way to the upper, there was a glimpse of a wet shine on the steps leading out; umbrellas were in play. A brown mist covered the river. The sun came through for a moment, clear and precise, throwing the shadows of the blinds into the apartment, and then the clouds blurred it out and the rain resumed its falling or not falling.