Poems

A Night in Hospital

Against my window, bat-wings lash.
Crows expectorate hacking caws.
The moon reddens, perched on the muzzle
of a dog that howls and bites the night wind. Worn down by the weight of darkness,
the walls murmur hoarsely to one another.
Silence is the only thing that hums,
interfering with the song of stillness. In a narrow street, hope’s light is snuffed
in the wail of a homeless drunk.
The leaves’ ears twitch, sensing
the distant breath of the devil. In the dead-end alley – mutters of thieves.
On the street corner – whispers of tarts.
The insects sense the scent of danger
and hide beneath the maple bark. The moon is eclipsed before dawn;
wild sounds erupt from my unconscious.
… Trapped in this night’s funeral-chant to the living,
I escape only through prayer.