New York City, November 8, 2016

★★★★ Wisps of cirrus fanned out on the sky above the line for the polling place. The line was in the shade outside the high school but the chill could do no harm; the five-year-old had gotten away with wearing shorts and an unzipped hoodie. Across the street, the line waiting to vote at the neighboring high school bent around the plaza and touched the sunlight. Where the sun could reach, the day was warm. Pedestrians passed through the brightness with their hair crowned in glory. The evening came fast and not soon enough. There was time to go out and buy a calendar for the next year, and some socks in anticipation of the cold. A few pale streaks of light still stood in the sky but it was otherwise full night, though warmth held on the air.