A quiet falls. Settled and safe. The birds sing their evening tunes. Night workers prepare to report. It is reset time. Travel on the Big Rock can be dizzying. Flying through space while twirling like a top is not for the fainthearted. We are constantly getting on the ride and getting off. The bullfrogs are practicing their symphony.

Summer is here in all of its glory. There is more of it left, we think, as we pull the string out of the enclosed box. The day is drawing near when the string will run out. Swimming days at Pounds Hollow and movies at the Orpheum Theatre, and…what…school starts in a week. We were just setting off fireworks and listening to the pop of firecrackers and…what…school supplies. The promise was long, and the event was short.

The clock is ticking. It seemed we were masters; we were simple servants. We were visitors in our lives. We watched the reels turn, the film making its distinct flicking sound. The people on the movie screen were having a good time. Laughter filled the soundtrack of their lives. They had little, but appreciated it greatly. They did not take themselves too seriously. ‘Wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet.’ The preacher said I have the answer, I am the answer. Scene change without warning.

The Old Man walked through the Woods. He thought of joys and sorrows. Men acting their prescribed role of leader and strutted and fretted across the Stage. They had preened and pirouetted. Their inner insecurities are revealed through their rhetoric. The demolished barns were to be replaced with bigger barns. They had the answers to life’s persistent questions. The Sirens sang their song, and the people listened. ‘I will give you all that you see if you will fall down and worship me.’

The Bullfrog Quartet is tuning their bass. The little boy walks his dog. The clock is ticking. All is well if it is well with your soul.

Talking is easy; communication is hard. The Circus Ringleader announced a new act in the center ring. A Statesman will speak. The audience looked perplexed. One called out, ‘What is a Statesman?’ The Statesman spoke for a few minutes. He spoke of compromise and harmony of purpose. The Statesman spoke of One Nation Under God. The Statesman spoke of freedom from sea to shining sea. The people became restless. One hit the Statesman with a rotten tomato. ‘Send in the clowns, there have to be clowns,’ a woman called out.

Evening is falling quickly now. The brilliant vestiges of blue sky are becoming dim. The little boy and his dog are safely in Grandma’s house. Milk and cookies are delicious on a summer evening. Especially if the milk is served in big porcelain cups.