To Settle the Night

by R.T. Castleberry / January 31st, 2021

Sky streaks lavender and orange to lowering blue.
Night chill rises, flicking at pants legs, leaf piles,
dampens sidewalk to footstep skate.
Beyond the greasy click of a security gate,
last birds circle to settle on a sleeping roost,
scavengers slink the hedge lines,
eroded wastes of tree root, fence rot.
Phone-nervous, the late-working husband,
lover late with wine and Chinese
hustles towards an unsettled greeting.
Cracked blinds, open curtains reveal
big screen play of cable news or cooking show,
month’s end packing boxes on parquet floor.
Knife in a coat pocket, edgy every day,
I make the walk from
car to mailbox and home,
busy slap of mail and magazines
against my leg.
There’s no curse to the night.
Only an easeful settling,
only the rendered verdict for the day.

R.T. Castleberry, a Pushcart Prize nominee, has work in Dissident Voice, Caveat Lector, San Pedro River Review, Glassworks Magazine, Silk Road and Gyroscope Review. Internationally, he's had poetry published in Canada, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France, New Zealand, Portugal, the Philippines, India and Antarctica. His poetry has appeared in the anthologies: You Can Hear the Ocean: An Anthology of Classic and Current Poetry, TimeSlice, The Weight of Addition, and Level Land: Poetry For and About the I35 Corridor. Read other articles by R.T..

This article was posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2021 at 8:03am and is filed under Poetry.