Kentucky nights bring stillness
but not silence
tranquility shrouds creatures of the night
their symphony betrays that.
Grasshoppers and crickets chirp ceaselessly
microorganisms making music of magnitude
introducing dusk to night
with unintelligible cheering.
Timid critters make their presence known
using the anonymity of darkness
raccoons and opossums wail in the distance
their cries aren’t a call to action but a wild expression
they could be dying—they could be giving birth
it’s always one or the other.
Vulnerable bellowing brings out the dogs
for a canine crescendo
projecting power into the air
raised hackles raise spontaneous barking
echoing through the ravine
alerting newts and neighbors alike.
The noise is paused as dogs are brought inside
the faint murmur of scolding replaces them
like an aria without an aside
the air is still again
until a pack of coyotes complete the satz
finding their prey as the night’s finale.
Jul 18, 2020
Jul 18, 2020 at 6:23 AM UTC
Kentucky nights bring stillness
but not silence
tranquility shrouds creatures of the night
their symphony betrays that.
Grasshoppers and crickets chirp ceaselessly
microorganisms making music of magnitude
introducing dusk to night
with unintelligible cheering.
Timid critters make their presence known
using the anonymity of darkness
raccoons and opossums wail in the distance
their cries aren’t a call to action but a wild expression
they could be dying—they could be giving birth
it’s always one or the other.
Vulnerable bellowing brings out the dogs
for a canine crescendo
projecting power into the air
raised hackles raise spontaneous barking
echoing through the ravine
alerting newts and neighbors alike.
The noise is paused as dogs are brought inside
the faint murmur of scolding replaces them
like an aria without an aside
the air is still again
until a pack of coyotes complete the satz
finding their prey as the night’s finale.
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