five-sense Friday

The sky is clear, hot, hazy--this day feels like mid-August, not mid-September. I sit in my corner of the couch, surrounded by piles of books and papers, a green and black mug of iced raspberry leaf tea beckoning between pens and post-it notes. Between my arms stretched toward the keyboard, my belly distends itself--baby is stretching.

Baby does not have much room these days. We are 38 and a half weeks along. This waiting game is a difficult one, though I think it is also good. My strong urge is to be at home, quiet. I feel myself shifting into a different mental space. Still, it is hard to imagine holding this mystery who pushes out against my bones and muscles.

The air smells of hot hay and smoke. I crave salt on my tongue, and icy drinks. The birds aren't very noisy in mid-afternoon. The trees are almost still.