POETRY: a kingdom reigns.

In the playground
where 
my daughters chased each other 
up and down the slides shouting future memories 
 a kingdom reigns
of my past make-outs and drunken epiphanies 

the wind picks up 
catching the last of the day pushing into
faded light going blue 
enter edge of moon 
train tracks turning the road northeast 
peripheral woman standing at the edge of transient fires 
hands raised against the darkness 
in evening prayer, 
red scarves flutter
mimicking flames
in trash can conflagrations

Gas lights flicker on overhead 
as I thread through 
the underpass
the fabric of my skin 
losing its tight weave- 
warp relaxing from weft 
leaving space to let the light through 

In the gloaming
You forget 
that you are no longer the child 

Everything comes back black 
silhouettes on closed eyescreens 
color obliterated 
by so much light 
the aperture closed down 
to stop the lense from burning 

You will think it is over
But it begins again 
and again 
surrender 
your only defense