'round midnight
stars continue to push
through holes in
the night's black net

'round midnight
the sun whispers distractions to the moon
tries to get her to come to bed early
but she turns him down
like a dimmer switch

'round midnight
winds become secrets
sprinkled over silent seas
to evoke waves of excitement

'round midnight
speech sheds its skin
to reveal raw rhythms;
rises and falls
of chests and breasts,
gurgles and giggles
subtext and riddles;
breath - slow and sure

'round midnight
the earth rises in heat
from its bed of aphrodisiac plants
reaches out with tree arms
to embrace the skies
damp with longing
to make the universe one

'round midnight
the world becomes poetry
and I dare not sleep