I made friends with the darkness
on the night the stars refused to shine
and the Moon hid her face from the Earth
Shadows took my hand
gifting me with lunar eyes
as a nocturnal wonderland
was unveiled before me
in all its darkened splendor
I walked the sleepy midnight pastures
under a black naked sky
a newly born creature of the night

I watched my neighborhood park
undergo a transformation
on a warm autumn morning
that carried the smell of dew and maple
the sun peeked through the trees
reflecting off the yellows reds and oranges
illuminating them
till you could swear they had caught fire
crisp air threw amber leaves skyward
raining down like golden confetti
to be collected for jumping into
by the laughing children

Nighttime spills over the horizon
staining the land with shadows
its blackness deep and unyielding
but soon arrives a tide of constellations
glistening with the brilliance
of stars unnumbered
they wash over the Earth
bathing all in soft starlight and
cleansing the darkness

I have never stuttered in pen
misspoken in ink
or choked in my writing
the way I do
whenever I speak
my fingertips always know
the right words to say
my tongue is still learning

The mirror is lying
as it reflects
a confident looking man
instead of the nervous wreck
who has a half baked plan
with a limited time
to construct the jumbled speech
in his head
and end the ceremony
before the vows are said