middle of night

arqios

 

"middle of the night”

 

A streetlight flickers 

in a colour
the city didn’t approve 

—a kind of bruised yellow
that makes every parked car
look like it listlessly sat

I’m out here again,
not for meaning,
but because the hallway at home
keeps ruminating in a way
I can’t match.

 

A receipt in my pocket
morphs into new shapes
each time remembering 

—purchases that haven’t 

yet been made

                 .pregregtful

 

Someone’s radio coughs
from a balcony above,
        a half‑song,
an almost recognised code
from a version of me
that leaned into wind
before urgency was known.

 

The dark isn’t vast tonight.
It’s narrow shadow,
like a monument between 

    pale sky and 

poop strewn ground
        . forgotten

 

I keep walking anyway,
letting pavement guide
soles' direction,
     until a door —
               not mine —
clicks open somewhere behind me.

 

Was there an invitation?
   or belated warning?

 

Ears prick,
     testing the night
               to hear who answers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

Comments +

Comments7

  • sorenbarrett

    And as is night so is life. Not always approved receipts of the future held in one's pocket (love the neologism). Who is this threatening invitation but a future one must guard against but be open for. Lovely my friend a surreal encounter and a fave

    • arqios

      Cheers, Soren, coinage seemed apt in the moment. Most appreciated 🙏🏻🕊️

      • sorenbarrett

        Most welcome my friend

      • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

        a most surreal feel to this much enjoyed my friend

      • orchidee

        Good write A. I missed all that - I was asleep! lol.

        • arqios

          Haha 😜 thanks O🙏🏻🕊️

          • orchidee

            I never knew so much happened in the middle of the night - well, I know now! lol.

            • arqios

              There’s so much there in what you just said🙏🏻🕊️

            • Friendship

              This poem, "Middle of the Night," revolves around the theme of solitude and introspection in an urban environment. Yet the poet grapples with feelings of disconnection and nostalgia while wandering through a city at night, reflecting on past decisions and the passage of time.

              • arqios

                In a crowd but alone, perhaps not necessarily and not always lonely in their lonesome. Good reading Friendship, thanks🙏🏻🕊️

              • David Wakeling

                An amazing existential journey here.The reader is taken on a sad but hopeful trip to a place of doubt.Very enjoyable read mi amigo

                • arqios

                  A fine journey indeed, thank you amigo🙏🕊️

                • Tristan Robert Lange

                  My friend, this is strange, restless, and wonderfully atmospheric. The warped details carry us through a city shaped by sleeplessness…then that mysterious opening quietly turns unease into anticipation. One heck of a poem, arqios! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦‍⬛

                  • arqios

                    I really appreciate how you caught that shift, the city’s strange restlessness and the way the night tilts from unease into something more expectant. Your reading feels right in the bones of the poem. Thank you, my friend. 🙏🕊️

                  • Neville



                    This is indeed exceptional ink .. many & I do mean many well done's sir .. Neville 👍

                    • arqios

                      Thanks Neville, this is great help as I sort the grain from the chaff🕊️🙏🏻



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