tell me

brother julius

of nights spent in the open

beneath quilted darkness

damp heat in the wee hours

lost and ignored in a street lamp solar system

how you wandered deep into desolate

suburban wastes

resting affluence

of noctilucent methane clouds

hanging cold on the edge of night

satin sprawled amidst dead heaven

how you paced past dilapidated store fronts

lost yourself among the faded grandeur of ancient courthouses and mailboxes

stared into the gaping maw of existence at twilight

far from the ethereal glow of a city corrupting the abyssal vastness suspended above

how touched you were

gazing

into those shimmering perforations in the fabric of night

how insignificant you felt in those sacred moments

to then retreat

in silence

you slept in graveyards

feeling more at ease with those that no longer drew breath

some nights it would be a plot

others

sprawled atop a mausoleum

lulled to slumber by insect lullabies

now

you work a trade

and bought a home

rising and setting with the sun