The night is warm,
One of those beautiful days between
Spring and summer
The tinny hum of the fan and
The harsh light of the lamp
Attracts moths to the open windows
And they throw themselves against the screens
I sit and listen as the fan
Fights a losing battle with the heat
The blinds clatter as a slight breeze
Lifts them from their places
The cat slinks into the room
And jumps onto the windowsill
He tries to catch the moths
On the other side of the screen
I turn back to the card game
My mom deals the cards
They spin as they hit the ground
In front of me
My sister uses her splayed cards as a fan
We play, listening to the fan
A few early crickets chirp slowly
It is a dull, meticulous noise
The slap of cards brings me
Back to the game
My sister has won
She smiles and starts to reshuffle
The entire deck
The sun had set long ago
Leaving the room without natural light
I cover my yawn with the back of my hand
The cards slap on the floor again
Time for round two
The fan stutters, but we pay it no mind
I look at my cards
A jack, two black sevens, a two of hearts, and an ace of diamonds
Return my gaze
I look back to the window,
It's screen clogged with light-crazed moths
The cat still paws at them
I yawn again
The humidity makes me sweat
My cards become hard to hold
And I let them slide into a graceful heap on the ground
The crickets keep up the song
And I allow it to carry me
To sleep, on the edge of summer