Vigil to morning
May 4, 2021
There are the nights that
Deny you sleep after
The mornings that surprise you
With reports of death’s
Thefts in broad daylight
Just as you wipe
The stars from your eyes.
There, there, sit there through
The dark hours holding
The fear of loss like
A market weight
Waiting for a scale of grief.
Give it a measure of tears.
Give it its weight in fears.
And, eventually it relents
And offers you a measure
Of life to keep, extra,
For the regular
At the vigil
After you bargain
With the Devil
For naught.
The body aches
With life.
The brain won’t rest
Until it has its fill,
Is sated in the knowledge
That the tide is stemmed
For now. That rest
Is dawning
With the sun
Breaking through
Heavy gray clouds.
With heavy eyes
The vigil ends.
