Sestina
- Erin
Night falls softly, a blanket of dark
Keeping its children close and warm
Crickets chirp, heralding a coming damp
People cluster together in the light
Afraid of the threatening cold
Mice huddle in their nests, safe and dry
The forest floor is drained of life and dry
The spaces between trees are a lightened dark
A rabbit sprawls out, stiff and dead from cold
A fire crackles, lively and warm
Animals avoid its flickering light
And a man wraps up tight against the dew's damp
Water seeps down the creek bed, bringing needed damp
To the dying plants, parched and dry
Far away, a forest fire fills the sky with light
A sharp contrast to the night's welcoming dark
Foxes gather together to stay warm
A cardinal shivers as it protects its nestling from the cold
A stone house is shut tight against the cold
While outside, a dog whimpers in the damp
Tucked in bed, the children are asleep and warm
Wrapped in socks, their toes are dry
A candle shimmers as it fights the dark
The single warrior of light
Outside, a streetlamp casts its lonely light
The insects banished by the cold
Deep in the forest wolves howl in the dark
Their heavy coats proof against the damp
Nearby, water rushes through riverbeds dry
Rain has finally come, leaving few creatures warm
A mother checks to see if her child is warm
And blows out the dying light
Mice squeeze closer to stay dry
Owls silently glide through the rain in the cold
The wolves bound back home, giving in to the damp
Silence reigns through the subdued dark
A dog lies out in the dark, his family inside, cozy and warm
Safe from the damp, a man reads by fire light
Winds, harsh and cold, sway through leaves long dry.