I have faith in nights.
--Ranier Maria Rilke, “You, Darkness”
when August heat disrupts sleep-fall
and raccoons instruct skunks
about grubs hiding in the lawn
when at-last dreams chauffeur me
to strange airports where shop lights dim
and gates appear and disappear
and I can’t recall where I planned to go
when the Blue Moon rises through
Douglas firs struggling to find
unruly stars born a billion years ago
when thirsty words scribbled
at 5 a.m. wake me to praise the last
embrace of dark before the first
trace of dawn stretches and yawns
Blissfully retired in Clackamas, Oregon, Carolyn Martin is a lover of gardening and snorkeling, feral cats and backyard birds, writing and photography. Since the only poem she wrote in high school was red penciled “extremely maudlin,” she is amazed she has continued to write. Her poems have appeared in more than 200 journals throughout North America, Australia, and the UK. See more at www.carolynmartinpoet.com.
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