New York City, March 28, 2017

[No stars] The darkness was back as if there had never been anything but darkness. Water gurgled under a loose paving brick, and a second exploratory step on the spot sent a muddy splash up onto the shoe. Spring plantings sat in pots on a handtruck in the rain as a crew stooped over the sidewalk beds. The rain gained pattering force. Most of the mud rinsed off the shoes. A napkin sagged where it was stretched to keep rain off the lid of the coffee cup. For a while for the homeward commute there was only a drizzle, but uptown the rain was drenching again. It came off the Apple Store with a sound like a bathtub running.