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1 a.m.

by John Harder

Changing of the season
took me out one mild night
13 in May
is inexplicably more enjoyable
than 13 in October

Fluffy clouds scattered
throughout a dark expanse
Probably white
but it's hard to tell
when blackness fills the sky

A destination in mind
with no time frame of arrival
Along the way I see some changes
Ones the daylight
may fail to reveal

Unnaturally bright lights
litter a once dark street
making it a chore
to raise my eyes

Walking past the high school
wondering what it's like now
To roam once familiar halls
would now feel unknown

It's quiet here
when the sun disappears
Making sporadic vehicles
roar like deafening beasts

In a furniture gallery
displayed in the window
is a set of bookends
Intricately crafted lighthouses
without a price tag
An indirect reminder
that I need a bookshelf
Books in a drawer need no ends

I stroll past my old apartment
then the house where grandma lived
All the while
taking in bursts of pollen
from the freshly flowering trees
Planted by the town
one may suspect
just to make it smell nice

I get a 1am coffee
from a deserted shop
They didn't see me come in
so I wait patiently
Perhaps normal people
don't get coffee at this hour

And so I retrace my steps
This time less leisurely
but ever so slightly
Sipping the bitter brew
and breathing the night air

05/16/2013

Author's Note: Late night walks make for good poetry vibes. I am quite pleased with this.

Posted on 05/16/2013
Copyright © 2024 John Harder

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