New York City, March 13, 2013

★★★★ Down below the windows, up in the treetops, a worker rode a cherry-picker basket through the treetops, a curved pruning saw flashing in his hand. The clouds were white cumulus, delicately shaded with pale gray. Supposedly there would be a 20 percent chance of afternoon showers. It was not worth considering; the umbrella, left to dry overnight in the hall, got tossed back inside and left behind. Bicycles were parked everywhere downtown, one post after the next. There was a bicycle locked to the BIKE LANE / BIKES ONLY sign. The 20 percent bet was off the board. The late afternoon windows were mirrors, reflecting buildings within buildings. Against the high sky over Broadway, one piece of dark litter whirled and hung aloft, all the way up there, then suddenly lost its updraft and plummeted.