Clouds hide the night

Mars sits in the sky laughing.
Peepers beside the pond call for mates.
And we sneak toward Passover, Easter, and Buddha’s Birthday.
It’s just time marking changes
Like the scars in a wrist from razor blades.

The tree mocks the wind caressing its limbs
And muffles the sound of traffic miles away
A horn marks one person’s fear or anger
At things gone awry and never settled
Like the foam on an ocean wave

Rock and roll flailing guitars assault the night
Hiding the slow tick of death
As it sneaks on padded paws to touch a shoulder.
We sway and gyrate pretending
That it will pass over us once more.

A silence stirs my dreams
And I lie still not even breathing wondering what?
A clock ticks and a floor creaks
I think of people I have known and weep
They never knew me. Changes in the night.