Mira hands me a full glass of Chianti. “Happy Friday!”

We clank glasses as we toast. I take my first sip. Dark wood taste explodes on my tongue.

I lie back on the chaise and open Merton. Smooth jazz plays again on that best of Christmas gifts: a Motorola Bluetooth speaker. I sip my wine again. A passing breeze rustles the aging Maple’s full canopy.

setting sun
bathes my face
a sparrow sings

more by FRANK J. TASSONE

photo by Ostap Senyuk