.
The late summer sky is
dark blue with patchy clouds
cotton balls that appear and disperse,
moving toward the ocean
60 yards away,
steep incline down wooden steps to the beach
Our rental house is empty, save the drapes
waving out of open windows
inhales and exhales with the afternoon breeze
The backyard tables sit unoccupied,
a hammock quiet, the grill left cold,
a vacation unrealized,
and these clotheslines, like our bed bare