Autumn Skies

It's my first gray day in Cambodia. Perhaps it's because normal life is starting to set in and harden around the edges, but the cloudy sky breathes a special sort of thoughtfulness. It has been sunny since I arrived, not a trace of coolness in the strata. But today I find myself reaching for my knit, short-sleeve sweater, pulling it around my shoulders and finding even that inadequate. Fall has taken hold of life in America, at least where all of my friends are. And as my favorite season, I sorely miss it. The crisp air and tangy apple cider, the novelty of an extra comforter and slow mornings watching leaves float away are things close to my heart. So the clouds today are sort of a brief vacation. I can get away from the perpetual sunshine and make believe myself in autumn's ocher glow even for just a little while. It is indeed a sweet spot of weather for me, but having such a sudden onset of subdued skies is lending exhaustion, too. Perhaps it's because of the sleep deprivation resulting from frequent nighttime concerts courtesy of various neighbors or the fact that my day ends at 10pm and sometimes later when I finish teaching, but today I'm heavy with the need for sleep. A week-long vacation starts on Saturday but, as Frost says from a similarly subdued landscape, “I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”