9:45 P.M. in an Undisclosed Location

It was all quiet on my street
when I noticed the stillness;
no living souls on the sidewalk,
cars parked and pitch black windows

     the rustling sounds of oak and elm
     against the shivering winds;
     they stood no chance facing the tempest
     and the leaves faltered like earthly snow

     the clicking of my shoes, creeping
     with the echoes of a dead day,
     the last sounds of life before sleep
     and the lulls of tomorrow

     my skin bathing under the streetlight,
     its glow as false as its man-made warmth;
     my soul awaits for the dawn
     somewhere above darkened skies

It was in the break of my stupor
where I saw a figure in the shadows,
and I helplessly knew in that instant
the futility of life and its dreams-