Night Sounds A-Callin’
By John Herlihy

All the night eyes, they are assemblin’,
All the night voices, they are a-comin’,
All the night sounds, they are a-drummin’,
All through the night, they are a-summonin’,
All the mysterious lives, they are enthrallin’.

The last of the day’s daylight is a-fadin’,
The mist and smoke over earth is a-floatin’,
The wind in the hollow trees is a-hummin’,
Feeding bats in blue dusk are criss-crossin’,
The deep tunnel of the night is approachin’.

The waves of sound, they are amultiplyin’,
The shadows against the light a-thickenin’,
The song of the whippoorwill is a-callin’,
The crickets never stoppin’, always echoin’,
The cicadas never stoppin’, always beckonin’.

Rhythms of distant banjo music came a-thrummin’,
A lonely harmonica on its own legs a-walkin’,
The thin pine needles, they are a-whisperin’,
The lonely wolf call in the night, it is a howlin’,
Pine cones break, into leaves they are a-fallin’.

The hypnotic sounds of the night a-seepin’,
Thru the cracks of the night world a-creepin’,
Our night flight ancient, myth-laden and iconic,
Escorting us into places we have never known,
Unique places we can never get to on our own.

The night sounds now put us to rest a-driftin’
Into the unconscious we sleep as we awaken
Awaken into the night of dreams forsaken
Night sound they are in dreams a-softenin’
Until they can no longer be heard a-soundin’.