Nightwords

   Confess your ignorance, you say,
    beneath the canopy of stars,
    as the darkness closes in around,
    eagerly awaiting the final silence.
    The desert air holds us in its grasp,
    unidentified voices
    mingle with the clouds.

    Sometimes, I dream
    I can imitate your confidence,
    pretend fear is not real.
    I do not think of
    the end of the earth,
    or the voices that insist
    you traded love for death.

    Give me your power, I say,
    hold my hand just for a moment,
    until my strength comes back.
    I realize how much you want me.
    We can go on forever
    unless I wake up.
    Even pleasure has its limits.

   Ed Hoyer Jr
    c. 1993