when silence falls
the curtains are pulled
summer nights are as welcome
or more so
than summer days
windows off the sill

alone is a place
and i find it so often
under stones
and in bathrooms
and bedrooms

the air conditioning
is on a timer
and I wonder
if it will be too hot tonight
even alone

accounting for body heat
is a practice best anticipated
because waiting is cold

the unburned wood before the empty fireplace
testament to the season