I live near Washington, DC, where there is a law that no building can be taller than the Washington Monument. In the city you can see a lot of sky.

When I am downtown, where most of the government buildings are, I don't really see them. They are so big and grand, it's hard to feel any connection with them. What I notice, in that part of the city, are the people. I listen in on bits of conversation, or see them walking, and wonder about their lives. Where do they live? Who are they connected with? How do they feel about themselves? What do they do when they are not in this place?

Other parts of the city are quite residential. When I am walking in one of these areas I often look into windows, wondering who lives there, and what their lives are like. I think about how the houses outlast us all. It makes me feel that we have something in common with insects -- eventually we abandon our mud tunnels, and a new group will take over.

BEVERLY RESS