Red Over My Head

It's 7:30 pm and October in Michigan and the temperature is still 78 degrees. Bikers, rollerbladers and walkers were out this evening, enjoying the weather, the color and the clear sky. The older people were admiring the surroundings, taking big nosefuls of autumn evening air, admiring the sun playing in the tops of the red, orange, yellow leaves. The younger folks were speeding along, ears stuffed with whatever the wire coming out of their pockets was channeling into their ears, racer sunglasses in place. One rollerblading dad wearing speeder shades was pushing a jogging stroller with an infant sporting baby-version shades. A biker, hat on backwards, sped along, texting with one hand. Two women were sharing a conversation with a third via speakerphone. "And then I said, 'like really, you know.'" The sumac leaves look like feathers on a long pole, and the shorter growths mix their brilliant crimson with the white and purple aster, and the gold maple leaves in the underbrush. The sun has set now, the fountain in Baker Park will sound as beautiful in the dark as it does in the daylight, and the streetlights will try to play with the scarlet/orange/gold leaves on the sidewalk, while the sun sleeps.