Navigating the Night
Another moonless night
in Franconia. Darkness drapes
the evening sky, the distant glow
beyond the horizon lost to me,
swallowed by the pitch of murk.
I wonder if the black bear
I glimpsed earlier, roaming fields
of wildflowers, prowls now, seeking
a midnight feast. No poppies
bloom tonight.
Then—a flicker of light,
and another. One by one, they begin
their ballet, tiny flares of swaying
fire, lightning bugs in countless
throngs. Guided by some quiet
purpose, they drift as if born to pierce
this harrowing black.
Sam Aureli is a design and construction professional living in Boston, MA. He looks forward to the weekend, watching birds feed in the backyard, and finding inspiration in the quiet moments. His poems have appeared, or are forthcoming, in Atlanta Review, Sidhe Press, Underscore Magazine, and Prosetrics The Magazine, among other literary journals.