August

This morning, I met my friends at a café in Raleigh. We chose the quiet reading room inside — a cozy corner with warm lights and bookshelves filled with books. Four women sat together, sharing the joy of language, the beauty of culture, and the gentle warmth of each other’s company.

The grass becomes lusher and greener after the summer rain. Fir trees gently sway in the breeze, their shadows side by side, overlaying the lawn like rolling little peaks. In the strong sun, a large green dragonfly circles over the grass. I stand under the eaves and watch as it ignores me, flapping its sparkling…