creature of the night
what’s become of the deep dark state
that once help my grasp
a sort of given of a blacking out
for predictable periods of nightly reverie
once upon a time the creature of the night
dwelled in my dreams
today it’s a physical reality
scratching at the window like the wind
or like a raven tight walking the sill
indecisive in its next move
I am between subconsciousness & light
unafraid but frozen
I blink my eyes in a sort of morse code
the bird is unable to interpret
pacing back & forth
its eyes locked onto mine
as the latter flicker until the light of day
only then off it flies until the next affair
december two thousand twenty-three
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved





