When the moon
dropped a thousand laughing swallows,
the streetlights 
on the block went out,
and my eyes began to shine. 
I tipped the flame
of a candle to the dark honey wick
of very serene nights. 
I engaged with an alphabet that bloomed
to erase my sadness
from a pain 
in love with a specter. 
The sun was no longer
my sworn enemy,
and it became a red fire that populated my prayers.