Clifford Dehaven | + Follow Poet |
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Child of Night

I like being awake all night 
like I'm a secret person 
not real at all 
 
child of night, known by no one 
living underneath the earth 
negative space, living like no one 
known by no one underneath the earth 
 
here we have our own private language 
secret numbers recited on a string 
a quiet glance revealing nothing 
(a secret handshake a decoder ring) 
 
bathed in the dull blue glow of monitors 
trading exclusive bits of nowhere 
sending a silent cry along the wavelength of nothing 
we get our quiet rewards anonymously 
our secret unsuspected nation, divisible, under the ground 
 
there are so many other phantoms just like me 
I will never know them, nor will they ever know themselves 
nor will I ever know myself, there are too many echoes 
reflections, diversions, obsessions, perversions 
so many distractions in the belly of the night 
 
the day is too active too busy too motioned 
for those of the night hibernating like me 
the day is too noisy with threatening emotion 
for those of the night sensitive as can be 
 
there are trees in the forest that are falling like madmen 
and there are phantoms around listening on through the night 
so as the world revolves there are always eyes enough 
to fill the dark sky with their yearning, earnest gazing 
though answers are few, and these questions have no end 
 
I like being awake all night 
like I'm a transparent person 
thoughts rolling clean through me 
 
that velvet darkness covering my heart completely 
no sunlight should now penetrate this veil 
and the night and I suit each other so perfectly 
no division, no partition, a loveless romantic tale 
 
not responsible for all that acidic sunlight 
bleaching everyones emotions clean and sterile 
not the usual child of days, instead a deep compacted mote 
one who can understand the lush quality of the darkness 
that covers the land and covers me like sweet mercy, nightly 
 
I like being awake all night 
like I'm a starlit person 
who cannot keep the day

Copyright © Clifford Dehaven | Year Posted 2011

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