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