But that's all different now,
I have wasted my time in too many places,
The nights are cooler, and the mice are coming in.
What's happening now is my life,
Lucky to have these woods to stand in,
These woods in the mist of what's happening now,
My life in a house with the mice coming in,
A dog asleep and snoring in the kitchen,
A house in a field where the goldenrod blooms,
Lucky to open this bottle of Malbec and books,
Books to stand in, lucky to have this life
In the mist with the mice coming in and me
Standing in one place hearing the birds.
It's all different now, all in one place,
The birds in the mist singing, singing,
I'm here, I'm here, I'm here.
—A rewrite, first published as "As the Nights Cool," 8/22/16.
