The Midnight Plant-Watering Ritual
Long after the neighborhood sprinklers
had shushed the night into silence
the closing of a door interrupted
and a dark figure glided across
the lawn, behind a wall
and disappeared.
A moment later it reappeared
and the face of a man could be seen
flickering like a candle in the streetlights
Suddenly the man stopped
and the world
lurched
like a
train
beneath his feet.
It became unbearable to stand
and he sat on a porch step beside a stray cat
Sharp shadows crossed
the man’s face and
an orange glint of
light was reflected
in his spectacles.
His cat purred as
he stroked it but
he looked straight forward
and did not smile.
His attention was focused
on a pinprick of light
in the vast dark canopy
called night.
He pondered his place
in the universe as
tufts of hair fell
from his hand
and were
carried
away
Copyright © Jesse Jones | Year Posted 2007
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