New York City, March 16, 2016

★★★★ Daylight played inside the apartment. The four-year-old complained that the fresh air coming through the windows, while the bacon was frying, made him too cold. Blue from the zenith gleamed on the curve of a dark steel curb facing underfoot. A yellowed haze gathered. Full sun fell on the forecourt, and one tree had unfurled tiny leaves. Every bench on the plaza was occupied. Little breezes had made their way down to the subway platform. The 1 ran late and jumped to express, overshooting the stop. People scrambled for the stairs toward a waiting uptown train, but the extra blocks of walking felt like luck, even on Sixth Avenue. In just a little while at a desk, though, the warmth and sun were gone. On the return trip through the forecourt, only one woman and child sat on the benches. Off over New Jersey the clouds were blackening and a dusky veil trailed from them. Lightning flashes played across the west. Planes heading into Newark came in low under the darkness, lights shining, against the orange horizon.