Now

The leaf right under the streetlight knows The car window taped up again and again knows The width of the deserted road sweats in the drizzle but knows The drunken feet have assessed The incline The height of the sidewalk They walk like they own Or are possessed They will not rest The mind has conquered its devils Is conquered and vanquished Ogres from the past march hand in hand Leaders with Alzheimer’s take the band stand In the morning sun Absolute silence reigns In this autistic world The only drums are the ones I can hear The only shrieks are mine Echoes from Mount Diablo We sing odes to lullabies That will sleep us through life