The morning is dark, as
if the sun never truly rose;

the street is lit in sepia
tones, heavy clouds
repose on the canopies
of fall-grizzled oaks;

unseen birds warble
in hushed, muffled tones,
while ghostly cars travel
on cloud-dampened roads;

the children, buttoned in
to their back-to-school
clothes, weave or meander
the sidewalk, half-asleep;

- gather the little ones close
in this quiet calm before
the madness strikes -

- know your exits, know
your foes - who knows
what might... happen -

then sun parts languorous
clouds, sending rainbows to
vanquish the mists; sunlight
sparks warmth inside;

gloom and doom forgotten,
a golden day to seize and fly


NCL September 2019