-- Each Side of Midnight --

by John Herlihy

On each side of midnight, the gracious stars be bright,

The night sky a blackened plate holding shards of light.

Scattered by a gracious hand, these fragments of glass,

That over an eternity of years their inner glows amass.

Why do hearts rise heavenward into this dark, inky sky,

To hide amid these distant lanterns without asking why.

To find within the dark hours some measure of peace,

As stars for a million years shed dim light without cease.

Summer violets close their petals freshness to preserve,

Until dawn dew awakens them from this hushed reserve.

Yet all things pass, a sense of weariness claims the night,

Night’s dark shadow will disappear with its shards of light.

This side of midnight forever holds the twilight of the day,

Night’s other side gathers dawn light for the coming day.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 10 November 2024