New York City, January 14, 2016

★★ The daylight was in no hurry to get established. When the sun was too low, the sky was unclouded; when the sun got higher, loose clouds covered it. Not everyone was wearing a hat, even as ice still lay by the curb. Up in the distance, past the Empire State Building, pastel blues faded into pastel peach. Things brightened till a subdued gleam showed in high windows, then dulled again. It went on, faltering gloom and faltering light, confusingly unpatterned: Real sun glittered in the headlight reflectors of the taxis and SUVs going by, then departed. The only identifiable time was when nighttime arrived.