The night is strangely quiet,
But not silent-
The air thick,
Heavy,
A looming fog rumbling in.
Only the faraway yelping
Of a wayward dog
And the dull buzz
Of a tired sodium light
Dare break the silence;
The latter casting stark,
Sepia shadows among the leaves,
Hiding more than it reveals.
Strange,
Isn't it?
How the light can obscure

I sit alone
Among star and shadow,
And some things that are
Both,
And some that are
Neither.
Tugging on a bottle of cheap whiskey,
Filling lung with smoke,
Fruitlessly seeking solace in the

Stillness,

To empty my mind
In the brief hush between
Cigarette,
And shot.
Drag,
Swallow.