In the Stillness of the Night

In the stillness of the night Thoughts palpitate my mind Now racing with the clock - Striking the second hour of a new day. I lie awake beyond the quietness Only aware of an occasional car Marking the stillness. Closing my eyes I think of the sleepless Dispersed throughout the town and city. Scores of people turning in their beds Some disabled by troubled minds Others who have become insomniac And may never enjoy the peace of escape, That world of sleep. A car with no exhaust disturbs the silence Disturbing the disturbed. In happier situations at this hour In homes, dotted throughout the town New mothers watch over tiny babies As they suckle contentedly, Then having taken their fill From the dimpled breasts Settle in comfort, solace and sanctuary. At the other extremity of life Old folk, lie awake Watching that great clock Ticking off the darkness hours, Awaiting another dawn. Across the city, the hospital lies, Alive with light Here skilled brisk nurses Steal through corridors - Answering buzzers - ringing out Birth, pain and death. A. & E. patients huddle in anticipation Reacting to the unsettling question And your next of kin is? In a calmer night's activity, Shift workers on the other side of the river Pack up after a long evening Of endless repetition Oblivious of anything, other than A good supper and a sound sleep. Night time, a time for lovers Some still whispering sweet pillow talk In the dark stillness - Vowing love forever, then dropping off Into their world of contentment. Beyond the bridge, a lone farmer Has one last look at his sickly animal Then falls exhausted into his empty bed. The ticking clock has almost gone full circle Dawn will soon unveil a rush of colour On the twilight town, opening Her morning chorus from treetop and garden.