Gifts of the Night

Faint stillness of the night falls swiftly down and masked raccoons now pillage darkest night. Fluffed owls with sparkling eyes are flying free and rabbits, gently moving, sniff the air... The hounds - from hunter lost - do bay and whine! Marked deer with spots or racks go pawing trails and bear cubs ramble near a sparkling stream. Uncommon moths blink near the lights outside and possums scramble up the hillside earth. Soft light of moon obscures the beauty there and adds romance to this nocturnal scene. Amid the forest’s trees of pine and oak, these charms display the gift of God’s design! Faint STILL-ness OF the NIGHT falls SWIFT-ly DOWN and MASKED rac-COONS now PIL-lage DARK-est NIGHT Fluffed OWLS with SPARK-ling EYES are FLY-ing FREE and RAB-bits, GEN-tly MOV-ing, SNIFF the AIR The HOUNDS, from HUN-ter LOST, do BAY and WHINE Marked DEER with SPOTS or RACKS go PAW-ing TRAILS and BEAR cubs RAM-ble NEAR a SPARK-ling STREAM Un-COM-mon MOTHS blink NEAR the LIGHTS out-SIDE and POS-sums SCRAM-bles UP the HILL-side EARTH Soft LIGHT of MOON ob-SCURES the BEAU-ty THERE And ADDS ro-MANCE to THIS noc-TURN-al SCENE a-MID the FOR-est’s TREES of PINE and OAK these CHARMS dis-PLAY the GIFT of GOD’S de-SIGN ©by Regina Riddle Written on July 29, 2014 Re-written for contest on July 30, 2014 Re-written twice for contest on July 31, 2014 – with LOTS of help from sponsor and much thanks to Roy Jerden For: For Newer Poets: An Exercise in Iambic Pentameter - Poetry Contest Sponsor: Roy Jerden I deliver newspapers at night on a rural route and see all of these nocturnal creatures along my journey… the origins of the poem.