Before the time changes

Just when the days are shortening, before the time has changed, suddenly as the day darkens, it’s possible to peek into lit interiors. People in denial of the coming cold and dark have not yet drawn the shades. Clerks in offices move papers around. People arriving home unpack their briefcases. At the Hotel Monaco, the luxury of even the basement rooms is revealed, vacant as the economy sputters. The Capitol glows. Through the ring of glass windows that encircle the dome, you can see straight through to the grey-suit sky behind. The sun sets behind the Washington monument, as colorful as the fireworks from summertime. Congress is in session. November elections loom. And then, the holidays arrive