Gloss

The room keeps the last of the afternoon in the glass. A pale band lies across the table and stops at the near edge of a book. The band The only bright thing left in the room. The rest has already gone to shade.

Beyond the window, the harbor is a strip of metal color. Boats sit where they were left, and the hillside town is still in sun. The town It stays bright longer than the water, because the hill faces the same way as the window.

Rain came through earlier and left the street holding the lamps. Their reflections run longer than the lamps themselves. The lamps A wet street doubles each one and draws it toward the person walking.

By evening the canyon is the only warm surface still in view. The river at the floor has gone dark, and the upper rim still holds the sun. The rim Late light leaves from the top. The floor is already in the next hour.