Purple Clouds in The Night Sky

By Michael Hooper

Lying in bed, listening to a droning fan on this hot summer night

I get up and walk outside and look at the blackness of the night. 

The purple clouds of darkness travel across the sky. 

I light a candle and question why things went awry

I pray for my friend who is suffering so

The pain and anguish are frustrating

But there is some hope

And I know the power of hope in recovery

There's something rumbling in the brush. 

The eyes of a possum glimmer like two small headlights

I love the blackness of the night and the red rings around the moon.

The owl hoots his cry yet no bird may hear 

I struggle to understand all this pain

Sadness covers me like a blanket, I can't let it go

I return to my bed to read

The words are shallow

I would rather watch the colors in my head,

which follow me into my dreams,

the red moon and the purple clouds of the night