An ambulance siren screams on a distant highway.

The neighbor dog across the street barks.

Teenage skateboarders roll past the house

Cutting down driveways from sidewalks.

Dusk falls — Birds sing — Crickets chirp.

The stray cats come crunch their evening kibble.

The ex-husband laughs and lights-up across town.

An ex-boyfriend downs a drink in some Northern bar.

The sun sighs a last light and falls into darkness.

Love and I sit together on the porch,

Talking like old friends over coffee

About the wisdom of numbers

And the magical reality of contrast

In black-and-white photographs.