Near Enough | 1 of 3

Stayed Longer

…

Photo by Rylee Deutsch on Unsplash

music was already going
something with a beat but no one dancing to it

one of the citronella candles had burned sideways
wax collecting along the porch rail
someone would have to scrape it later
no one had yet

she tried a chair near the fence
it rocked once
settled when she shifted her weight
good enough

he sat on the bottom step
drink between his hands
looking out at the yard like he was waiting for someone
or maybe just staying put

a guy near the cooler kept retelling the same story
forgetting where it changed
people let him

someone picked up a guitar
played half of something recognizable
gave up

the fourth song slowed everything down
not a song you’d look up later
just one you let finish

“You know this one?”