I Chase Sunsets Like Fireflies

I chase sunsets like fireflies

trying to capture the streaks

of light, fleeting as they may

be. When I fail to make the sun

stay, I watch its yellow-hued

smile dip into the ocean, leaving

the sky streaked as it mourns

a deep purple in the absence

of light. The sun’s warmth

escapes my cheeks and

I wonder if my leaving is as beautiful and yet utterly heartbreaking as a sunset.

In the dusky hours, I become

a cemetery for relationships –

I dig graves and people throw

their pain in fistfuls. But even

in this graveyard shift, this timeless

midnight existence, these wee hours

of the dawn, the seeds are sown

and the grass begins to grow, softly

as the dew melts and the frost

fades. I hear you all, the thousands

of voices exclaiming their longing

to be loved, and I know I do not

work this graveyard shift alone.

I know we – all of our lonely little souls – are far less alone than we imagine.

(T. // waiting for the sun to rise)