Last night brought the hills in close,
late afternoon and they’re back in place.

The lake looks deep, scored by whitecaps
and racing boats. Finally the deck

is in the shade, and it’s almost time
to leave. Would that I could bottle

a place, could stay to watch the bats
drop out of a nearly empty sky just

one more time, to stay up late and sit
outside as the landscape gives off

radiant heat long into the night
and the lights in town come on one by one.