North Maple Rag

I saw a picture tonight that made me homesick. It was a picture of a small-town museum that had been taken just after dusk on what appeared to be a summer evening and for a second I could feel the breeze and smell the grass of a summer night in South Dakota. I think it was something about the light. Somehow, it was apparent in the picture that the light from the museum was the only light around. There's a kind of darkness that drops over small towns that you just can't experience in a place like New York.

I saw Brokeback Mountain last night and I think the lingering scenes of sky and space and quiet had an effect on me. I've only been back in New York for a month, but I'm ready for a break. Luckily, I'm headed to Chicago this weekend. Chicago's not at all a small town, but it's so much closer than I am right now. Plus, I'll be spending the weekend with old friends and there's not much that's homier than that.