Poetry
Written by Jack Pontes
June 9, 2020
Lanterns bend over the street
Dividing the night where people meet
Some in shadow
Some in light
Lanterns see everything in the night
A wanderer has fallen asleep
His bed is a grate where he will not weep
Some never wake
Some cannot wait
For the light of the lantern to break
A traveler admires from beneath
A skyscraper with a silver sheath
Some windows white
Some cells are black
Others a mirror
Reflecting the smokestack
Cabby’s come for customers
Evening reapers but solemn harvesters
Some come rude
Some seem sweeter
When paid by the meter
Flower vendors flock to bars
Where patrons park expensive cars
Some make a sale
Some sell a dozen
Roses for light lovers
Hearts rise in the oven
Patrollers crawl round the corner
Content to linger while the night grows older
Some so cold
Some so eager
To catch a thief or one more meagre
Junkies warm frozen hands
Yet freeze swollen veins
Some feel serene
Some are just tired
Of a high that lights as long as it’s wired
Love birds are sitting
On a park bench and hoping
Some stay together
Some will soon part
Their love will go missing
By lanterns in the dark
The rest. No! The most in number
Without a care in this world they slumber
Some in a dream
Some in a nightmare
Blinded by the light
That should make them aware
The devoted bend over their bed
Dividing the night in prayers; instead
All of them hope
All of them right
By the lantern in the mid of the night
June 9, 2020
Lanterns bend over the street
Dividing the night where people meet
Some in shadow
Some in light
Lanterns see everything in the night
A wanderer has fallen asleep
His bed is a grate where he will not weep
Some never wake
Some cannot wait
For the light of the lantern to break
A traveler admires from beneath
A skyscraper with a silver sheath
Some windows white
Some cells are black
Others a mirror
Reflecting the smokestack
Cabby’s come for customers
Evening reapers but solemn harvesters
Some come rude
Some seem sweeter
When paid by the meter
Flower vendors flock to bars
Where patrons park expensive cars
Some make a sale
Some sell a dozen
Roses for light lovers
Hearts rise in the oven
Patrollers crawl round the corner
Content to linger while the night grows older
Some so cold
Some so eager
To catch a thief or one more meagre
Junkies warm frozen hands
Yet freeze swollen veins
Some feel serene
Some are just tired
Of a high that lights as long as it’s wired
Love birds are sitting
On a park bench and hoping
Some stay together
Some will soon part
Their love will go missing
By lanterns in the dark
The rest. No! The most in number
Without a care in this world they slumber
Some in a dream
Some in a nightmare
Blinded by the light
That should make them aware
The devoted bend over their bed
Dividing the night in prayers; instead
All of them hope
All of them right
By the lantern in the mid of the night
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Jack, a Fine Arts teacher for over 15 years, has written 4 musical theatre plays including, ‘Noah and the Ark’ staged in 2007. He has also written many social justice songs such as, ‘Hush Little Baby’, dedicated to the Peshawar Refugee Camp in Pakistan. Jack has also written children’s stories such as, ‘The Dragon Hunter’ which received a stellar review from Canadian novelist Makeda Silvera. Jack has also written many poems and lyric poems including, ‘The Bull Fight’, which was featured on Yahoo Glue and Humboldt, which was published in Raconteur Magazine.
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Written by Jack Pontes
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