I was standing in a golden glow

When the gray washed over me

Like when I was just a kid

Suspecting that something inexpressible

Had just been irretrievably lost.

There are those who say that the dark

Must be denied, detained, refrained;

All I know is that it knows my smell,

And finds me without sight or sound,

Comfortable in my discomfiture, it stays.

Sometimes not for long, just an interruption

Otherwise, brooding like a barnyard hen

It loiters in my closet, a silent nightstalker

Until I turn on the light all night

And the dawn comes fuzzy, low, and late.

If just one heart would listen well,

I wouldn’t have to pray so much,

Or dream of kisses in my sleep;

No one’s missed their breath but me,

And no one wants to hear they’re due.

I might ramble, ‘cause at times, my heart staggers

On the way to telling the last, best truth;

Testing who still wants to listen

To the wisdom of the quiet mind

Riding the slippery snicker-back of melancholy.

There are some jokes that just serve notice

That it isn’t really time for laughter,

Except when money somehow pays the rent

For company; and when strangers

Are often the truest love around.

Soon I’ll fetch a pen just for graffitti,

And shift my jesting notions

To the restroom of the church;

If God has a sense of humor

He’ll laugh on Sundays, too.

The Jews still suspect Jesus of some devilry,

While betting He won’t make it back;

Man of sin, O man of sin, once we see you

He’ll be back. Watch out for that golden glow

Annihilating every dark with bright retributions.