Dearest night,  I wish I had more time For your lulls of quiet  Between gentle thunder And the last drips of rain   Stars peek over the arms Of the tree of shadows Frogs honk in the distance, Beginning a chorus in  Response A croaking crescendo And a sudden stop. Then the crickets chirp The voices of night.   Mind numb, I drag myself to bed Wishing for more time Even as I close my eyes And perish for the night

I tilt my face toward the sky And welcome the rain Let it pour over the rage Sticking to my skin It pounds with my pulse, Wars outside and in Bathes me in the ferocity of  Storms   Blinding Deafening Obliterating   The drops slow to nothing Winds fall from the sky Both folding back To allow her forward   And I know her   Beauty glows inside my skin Warms my body, My eroded heart, Bloats me with purity Leaves me purged of...

It’s quiet.The dogs,My lover,My son, Appliances,Weather…Mute.Nothing,Save for crickets and frogs,The symphonyOf the subtropics.I bask in the rarity,Feel my soul sing.For when it’s quiet,When I am nothingTo anyone,I am free.