Indian Summer

Sitting on the deck with the latest Elizabeth George
and a salted caramel macchiato 
in a red cup with Christmas decorations
	(free medium drink coupon)
	(next time get the mocha)
bare toes luxuriate in unseasonable warmth
eyes squint against the sun of a glorious day.

I recklessly and willfully
Squander time outside today
	riches that may not come again for months
	(foggy morning hours in the park
	stolen afternoon hours in the sun.)
Housework will be there tomorrow
	(and when I go inside.)

With the “fall back" time
	darkness arrives too quickly,
	breathing closely behind my back
	at 2:30, only two hours away.

I close my eyes against the sun
	trying to interpret the black shapes that move
	against the orange behind my eyelids.