Surprised by Evening

Surprised by Evening by Robert Bly

There is unknown dust that is near us 
Waves breaking on shores just over the hill 
Trees full of birds that we have never seen 
Nets drawn with dark fish.

The evening arrives; we look up and it is there 
It has come through the nets of the stars 
Through the tissues of the grass 
Walking quietly over the asylums of the waters.

The day shall never end we think:
We have hair that seemed born for the daylight;
But at last the quiet waters of the night will rise 
And our skin shall see far off as it does under water.

Form: Free verse Comments

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Oimbo Avatar
September 9, 2026 at 4:17 PM
This one feels like one of those poems that sneaks up on you slowly. Then suddenly you're somewhere somehow more completely different than where you started. You started from dust, then waves and shores, in forests, then birds. I like it.
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