Hour 20: Walking the Night

“I have been one acquainted with the night.

… I have outwalked the furthest city light” (Robert Frost).

 

No remote nature road for me

Where small rustles in the grass chill my gut,

Where moon and stars play hide and seek

Behind brooding verdant branches;

Where cackling cicadas watch over me,

Warning me they are waiting.

 

Spare me the desolation

Where something howls at the sky;

Where my lonely steps

Crush the paths I walk.

Where friends are empty echoes

Of memory.

 

Give me city lights in my night,

Solitude in a crowd,

Feeding all my senses:

Reverberating voices tripping over each other,

Smoky roastings tempting my tongue,

Blasts of heat and rot beneath,

Colors rioting beyond the rainbow.

 

Give me the city

Where wishing stars

And moonlight larger than the sun,

Play along the asphalt;

Where other walkers and I make music

Like jazz, dancing our variations,

Watching each other prance

In the glowing darkness;

Where I hear laughs of mirth,

Sobs of grief, hums of life.

6 thoughts on “Hour 20: Walking the Night

  1. This had me chuckling in a good way…because of your amazing counter argument. I love Frost and nature walks and you had me rethinking…I loved the lines “Spare me the desolation…where something howls at the sky.” Beautiful imagery. Well done!

  2. Love this piece. You set the stage, make a case for the city way. This really resonated with me as a city guy who also loves the isolation you referred to. I can aee both dides snd sppreciate the P.O.V.

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