Nightlight
written by: Tina Privitera-Reynolds
Boogeymen and witches,
Nosferatus and gnome goblins,
And wraiths that wispy slink
About the house in
Peripheral midnight-black
Shadows.
All conjurings from
The inside of your own brain’s
Blueprinted hellscapes
Are vanquished by the
Baby-soft glow
Of a wound tungsten filament
Cradled by a fragile globe
Of fused quartz.
A motherly,
Warm incandescence
Fills the cold vacuum of
Night’s unknown empties,
Barely achieving the visibility
Of a braided wick’s flame.
Gentle forces don’t reach far
For fear of exceeding their grasp.
A dim halo of calm
Swaddles lovingly
All uneasy blanket thrashers,
Sweeter than a million little
Melatonin kisses.
But, the Grim Reaper’s scythe
Always cuts unexpected.
The wire coil runs too hot
And bursts in one final,
Exultant swan song
Firework of perfect white light.
Black seeps in on all sides.
And you wait in rigid paralysis,
Vulnerable to nightmares dreamt
In waking anguish.
- Unnecessary - May 18, 2020
- Ashes to Ashes - February 21, 2020
- Floating On The Ground - January 17, 2020
