A summer drive.
The air is cooler here
like mild winters in Texas,
except unlike Texas,
exhales of breath are thinner, drier too
and certainly more tangible.
You can almost see whispers of wind
as they ventilate throughout the vast valley
carved meticulously from the crests of two adjacent
mountains.
At sunset, we arrive at the little red house.
The last of the day’s golden rays gently sweep across overgrown patches of leaf climbers
and worn down paint that hugs the ashwood door.
Five pairs of restless feet clamber along the swirling stone path.
Orange leaves rustle and crunch eagerly under running shoes.
Five pairs of hankering hands clutch the cool metal of an antique
doorknob.
Later, we are gathered together in the soft glow of the kitchen.
Ringing as clearly as silver bells on an arctic sleigh,
laughter stretches and swirls effortlessly along the silhouette of the room.
Like seafoam waves, it washes over each person, jolting bleary eyes awake.
Sweetly, all crevices seal.
Lightly, all hearts are filled.
So deeply content they overflow with joy.
When we are hungry, dad and I reach for cooking pans.
The skillet shines against the simpler tangerine paint clinging to the countertops.
Together, we dice fluorescent greens and mince the raw muscle of a cod
before drizzling the fish in honey and drowning it in paper flakes.
I reach down.
The pink tissue feels smooth
like the creek stones I see slumbering underwater.
We pour cups of rice into a red pot.
As sea-blue flames greedily lick the underside of the blazing stainless steel,
vegetables and meat sizzle and sear into golden-brown hues.
Swirling its contents, I suck in a gust of air.
The meat smells salty. I savor it.
It reminds me of home.
When we are finished, five ravenous heads bobble over to the center table,
Their watering mouths could fill rivers and rivers.
Easy smiles and comfortable conversation replenish the empty spaces between bites of
steaming stew.
Now, with both hearts and tummies content, five pairs of sleepy eyelids
flicker, delicately, closed.
Tonight, we’ll rest.
Tomorrow, adventure unfolds.