Dusk (poem)

Dusk

The sky is pink with reminiscence of the sunset,

the clouds still holding on to the last rays of light,

refusing to let the darkness of night take over just yet.

The pond below does little to reflect the sky’s last echoes.

Unmoving, the water stares back at me like a black hole.

Maybe the clouds are doing this on purpose: staying put

in protective stubbornness, trying

to keep me safe.

It is still warm for autumn, and

above me, the trees are green and full.

Leaves crunch under my feet, regardless.

I don’t know where they came from,

these dead appendages that litter the ground.

There are monsters out here,

I hear the clouds say overhead.

We don’t want them to come out.

To my right I can hear something moving in the water.

But the tall grasses don’t rustle; the pond’s surface doesn’t ripple.

Though I hear crickets and katydids all around me—above me—

and the familiar screams of the cicadas, I see no signs of life

down here.

I know that the full moon is tonight.

I came looking for it, craving to feel its pale light

once more on my skin, holding it in my palms.

Across the water, I see the highest branches

swaying and pulsing together in a breeze

that doesn’t reach me. Here, at the pond’s edge,

I feel no wind; the finely drawn silhouettes

of young branches, just above my head, remain

still, dark against the dim lilac sheet

splayed out above them, doing its best

to shoo the shadows away.

But even as the day persists and lingers,

I still pursue these shapes and shadows

that begin to come out of hiding

once the sun sets. And, it seems that

they’re calling me, too.

~10/5/17 (that night) – 2/8/18 (finished)

These were taken that night. I tried to capture it, but only had my phone for a camera.
Needless to say, I felt that words did a much better job.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave any comments below :)

Also, yes, this piece was started in October, and is the finished products of one of my many "Inktober" pieces that I've finally polished up and finished.

"And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." –John Muir