Peace

I slid the glass door from my parents' living room to their patio and stepped out into the stillness. The water in the swimming pool is a sheet of blue. The air does not move. Even the birds are quiet. No traffic.
This is what I need after a day packed into the car with four other people, driving, driving.
Then a bird in the palm tree behind the pool squawks. A morning dove coos. An air conditioner kicks on.
The trees behind the screened-in patio are prehistoric palms and live oaks with big vines climbing. The ground is thick with fan-like palms that block any path.