Broom Sage and Haze

We lived upstate South Carolina in a faded green trailer at the end of a gravel road. I was almost 5 and had been outside exploring all afternoon and was headed back toward home when I deviated through a broom sage field next to the road.

It was hot and hazy, with swarms of tiny gnats. The air was dusty and dry. The sun lighted the broom sage at an oblique angle, highlighting the fuzzy parts on top.

I stood there for a minute, breathing in the heat, trying not to breathe in the gnats. With the memory saved, I continued home.