Tonight It All Seems Possible

Me and the wife pull up wood chairs to the kitchen table and pour a half glass of Napa Valley wine for each other. We laugh and talk over a simple salad, romaine lettuce, feta cheese and our favorite dressing. We open the screen door, finally fixed, to the back yard. The neighborhood cat, brown and striped, scampers away to a place without humans.

The wind roars through the valley announcing the coming storm. The plants are shaken back and forth like a man caught in a whirlpool. Yesterday summer shouted, “I am here,” ninety-five hot degrees forcing itself in upon all of us; we raise our hands to shield our faces---we aren’t ready. The wind runs like horses in battle forcing summer into retreat. Brisk refreshing air blows in through the screen door.

Need To Breathe singing from speakers, gospel and positive possibilities. Another glass of wine, the wind rattles the shades. Smoke from fires down the hill color the sky. Storm clouds compliment, creating a dark circle surrounded still by sunlight. The air cools, the wind blows.

Looking through the screen door it all looks beautiful. Zephyrs hint at revival to come. The smell of moisture in the air gives hope that the fires will abate. We throw our heads back and laugh. Tonight everything seems possible.