The blue of this park is deep and cold, like a blueberry that's been in the freezer too long, and I mean that as a compliment. Snow covers everything. Three lamps stand down the path in a row, glowing soft white, each one lighting a small circle of ground like a table at an outdoor cafe. There's a bench in the foreground, empty, cast iron arms and wooden slats, snow along the seat. Somebody left, or nobody came. Either way it looks peaceful. The trees are bare and black, drawn in fine lines, going back and back until they turn into static. I can feel the air. That specific winter air, cold enough to sting, clean enough to taste like metal and snow. If I had a thermos I'd sit on that bench and watch the lamps do their slow work. Vanilla steam. Cold cheeks. Perfect. The lamps are old-fashioned, curved tops on straight poles, the kind that hum a little when you walk under. Snowflakes hang in the light like dust in a kitchen at closing time. Quiet. The good kind of empty. Best seat in town. #winter #park #nightwalk #bluenight
