Night Sounds

Long after midnight
I wake to the sounds
Of the world carrying on
In my absence.

A siren pierces the darkness,
Aroused by another’s adversity-
A heart suddenly silent,
A home embraced by flame.

A dog barks in the distance,
Loyal guard,
Keeping at bay
Demons unseen.

A train passes,
Steel determination clicking,
Cicada’s dutiful cries
Alter to match it’s beat.

Curled in a ball,
I drift back to sleep,
The world secured
Until morning, when I

After coffee and a prayer,
Will lift it again,
Like a heavy coat,
And place it on my back.

By Maria Brady-Smith

Photo by Mike Smith