She worries when I go for my night walk
Even if just in our neighborhood where there is little traffic
most folks home by this time, little movement
on the road, even the wildlife is nesting
Plenty of road to share in this uncertainty
Coming out of the pandemic, wondering what the new normal might be
Striding along, street lights start the shadow races
The blackest black bleeds to grey as the light shifts from back to front
as the light shifts, the shadow dims, decides to
go the other way, leaving you alone for a time
Navigating the curve, it is dark, hard to see,
harder still when in this far point between these poles
This street light works, sorta. It slowly comes on
building brightness, widening its circle of light
It reaches as far as it can, stays for a bit, only a bit,
abracadabra, the cone of light disappears
Then I am back to navigating the curve
walking on a dark and stormy night