New York City, October 8, 2015

★★★★ Mildness blanketed the street, as relaxing as the day before had been stimulating. The light was tinted in grimy but lush shades, gold tones bruising into purples. The pre-kindergarteners were already out in the playground before dismissal, chasing one another with hula hoops. On the walk away from school, one of them stooped to pick up an oak leaf that had fallen in mid-change. Teens raced through the sidewalk crowd like broken-field runners. Edges softened in the thick glow of afternoon. Orange light flamed off faraway windows in New Jersey.