Night Ghazal

Your cotton-seed ambition keeps you awake in the dark.
The clay-sod failures keep you awake in the dark.

The burning house down the block makes the trees shine
while the smoke-genie watches the neighbors huddled awake in the dark.

Roaches love street lamp light and bats stream from trees when you clap–
two things to behold when wandering awake in the dark.

Three sets of eyes: the coyote’s, the dead deer’s and mine.
One flees, one flinches, one lies still, seeming wide awake in the dark.

My daughter interrupts her bedtime story, “there’s something I need
to tell you, Daddy,” and falls asleep. I finish the story, barely awake in the dark.