Breathing

[rejectomorph]

Softly, a northern breeze cleared the clouds, and I watched stars emerge as nearby trees rustled. I saw a few faint meteors streak by, and two bright ones. I saw no red glow in the dark south, where the fire burns, but the sky there has remained obscured all night. The fire is more distant than I thought yesterday afternoon, though it could advance, should the wind veer about, but for now not even the scent of smoke reaches me. Very late, the clouds returned for a while, then vanished again in time for moonrise. The thin crescent's pale light dusted the trees for a brief hour before the sky became a vivid, deep blue, and the approaching day began to reveal the colors of the roses and the lawn. Momentarily, I expect the quiet to be broken by the songs of waking birds. Until then, I listen only to the whisper of that welcome breeze, grateful that it marks the onset of an at least slightly cooler day.