No.28

An ancient moon sits atop the sky,
throwing light as brightly as the day it was born.
Close by, stars cluster,
eager to add their glimmer.
Silhouettes of palms
and banana trees
work like shadow puppets,
illustrating the foreignness of the scene.
A chorus of insects and frogs
and the low voices of mandinka conversation
are punctuated by distant drumming.
Still the heat clings to the earth.
But a soft night-time breeze
- barely flowing over your skin like silk -
eases away the travails of the day.

No.9

Night portrait

I could paint you

If I could write something beautiful

It would be yours.

Pencil working in the darkness

Sketching the shape of your even breaths.

They are cello strokes, warm

and soft and vibrato.

No.8

An expanse of inky midnight

Stretches far above.

Beyond the eye,

Beyond human reach.

The darkness punctuated

by brilliant lights,

Ever shining.

For these slim hours

The clouds have broken

And are allowing us

A glimpse of time untold.

I'd like to lay down here,

Spend the night

Just me, silence, and stars.