it's its own
atmosphere
each orangelight
sans fire burns on what's
left of trees
on an abandoned block
the street is heard
brittle footsteps under
the lamp above that creaks,
moved
how just every
2 am walk alone, but
below it's still stone
to break glass —
is to break the very night
hollow, blind
dead
~ written on a winternight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
winter dusk descends—
a sodium-vapor halo
holds the dark at bay
concrete sentinel
casts long, lonely geometries
on rain-slicked asphalt
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Glowworms of asphalt—
each halo a civic pact:
"Stay lit," they murmur
Under streetlights
In the silence of snow
I am back when my breath was last this loud
Electric
You tug at my t shirt with your left hand and your nails graze my skin
Our pupils dilate, distending out to greet each other in a grotesque bridge of wet, dripping, obsidian flesh
So I feel like a black hole
I am a focus as intense as a drug
A rip on the edge of an edgeless sky
And we are all consuming
And we are almost one.
Sometimes
I wish it wasn’t this way, where I am a clock-watcher, and I glance up to see the hands always aligned.
And so where are we without an endless pull?
Without 12:30?
Without a 12:01?
The clock is broken
Or time has stopped
And it is stale
Or I am stale
Or we are stale
I remember stark beautiful nights
Blue nebulae, stars shining bright
Constellations, mind-bending sights
Brilliant moonshine, rising in height
And then ascended, our fuzzy lights
Heaven vanished, perhaps took flight
By
David Kavanagh
Streetlights Over Apple Trees - A Haiku
meandering thoughts
a single, tall streetlight stands
over apple tree
~
orchard large gardens
amazing smells apple sauce
street lights the way home
~
after long eve walk
a single, tall streetlight stands
over apple trees
6/12/19
I listen to the streets
they have all the right names
at dawn I stand under the lamps
blueish grey skies part open
the day is welcomed by the warm morning sun
electric mind illuminate me
reveal all the answers I need
I continue to walk against the morning clock
and the street lights hum in tune with me
life is not about wanting it all
it is about giving it all,
all in all, the day is young
and there is a lot to be done.
Early hours lost, dark clouds
Flapping in the winter wind,
Candles simmering with
Blue flamed concentration.
Words are sparse, just below
The crust of loneliness,
The march of thought dismissed,
In disarray, the boat of souls
Cast off bravely long ago.
It cannot last, this wash
Of constant neon slavery.
In silence, starving shadows
Lay low, like lurking cats
Longing for attention.
The daylight hours start to fade and die
Darkness creeps upon us like a stalking black cat
Streetlights flank both sides of the road
Looming large like massive matches waiting to be ignited
Special sensors activate, striking them into life
Dim at first then building to illuminate our way
Gradually the lustrous shimmer intensifies
Glowing giant angels with gleaming halos
Sodium bulbs emitting a golden aura
Shining in the dark with a comforting light
Beaming brilliance on our world making it bright
Meandering into the distance like a yellow corn snake
Guiding us on our way along our streets and roads
Jan Allison
2nd October 2014
Contest: Find The Puzzle T A R N D A I
Sponsor: Nette Onclaud ~awarded 5th place~
Streetlights in the night air
Streetlights light up the city
Underneath them youth yearn
Teenage boys and girls embrace
An old man passes by
Alone he heads for his abode
Where he can sleep
Autos rush by
their "whoosh" resounds in the urban evening
Gazing from my window I see lights
all around the city
Streetlights - they guide you home
Your home in the asphalt homeland
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.