Shadow men--
the silent,
   secret ones --
stand soulless
by the sea.
Day has vanished
into the grey twilight.
Trees, towering sentinels,
guard against the night.
The strong pursue,
the weak will cry...
dart and turn,
twist and grimace.
(Sight and sound betrayed/
instinct forgotten
or mislaid.)
The shadow men
watch the hunt:
no reaction, nor reward.
Night, like the First
     Darkness,
consumes all --
soul and soulless --
by the sea,
the silent, secret sea.