In the middle of the night
when darkness curries favor
with sleeplessness and fright,
I wander room-to-room
in hopelessness that dawn
will come bearing anything
more than false light.
Too many days of bold lies
called forth from the darkest
spaces of twisted minds
force us all to walk in darkness,
and into exhausted days unable
to perform the simplest tasks,
weary beyond all telling,
silenced senses yelling,
deadened and unfeeling.
To feel would be to die,
or die trying
to make sense of such evil.
The cost of others’ greed is too high
for men and women of conscience,
of even Mother Earth herself,
to survive.
There is no answer
to the question, “why?”.
And so, I continue to roam
dark spaces, seeking answers.
I am woke. I stay awake
to face dark days
and dark nights.
I roam looking for ways
to pull us all to safe spaces
where restful sleep may come.
annarino writes 