New York City, March 15, 2016

★★ The rain had gotten under the scaffolds just enough to melt the dog turds without washing them away. A fresh gob of spit glistened on the pavement, its viscosity still distinguishing it from the background moisture. By afternoon, the wetness of the day had diminished to a clinging dampness. Late in the day sunshine found the building on the corner of 18th and Fifth. More brightness spread over the oncoming evening. The western sky was blue, with wispy pink contrails in it. In the dark, the clouds reconsolidated, into a luminous mass — and then, abruptly, after midnight, there was a lowering half-moon, haloed but with its surface detail etched clearly. Moments later there was just the shapeless glow again.