I sit still while the darkness falls,
Waiting for that deep blackblue of justbefore darkness
When sight is hazy, and the body turns up the volume on my ears.
As I wait, I hear the crickets and mosquitoes,
And a big rig on Route 62.
I hear the seconds pounding on my watch,
And I wonder if time is noise.
To meet night on its own terms is to
Step out into a world of quiet maybes
Not known by the sunlight people
Who bring spotlights to the woods to recreate the day since passed.
They kick at the darkness, hoping to make it bleed daylight,
But all they will get are sore feet.
Tonight, I will wait to walk with the starlight people,
Feeling the road ahead with my feet,
Seeing it with my ears.
When the coolness slaps my face I will know I have entered the woods.
I will hear my own footsteps and know that I am alive.
I will lie on my back in the clearing,
And trace figures in the stars like shepherds of old,
Trying to guess each star's private name.