Night Falls on St. Andrew

Darkness settles in,

wrapping tightly all around me

like the frayed sheet on the bed.

Lights out, eyes closed,

the night steals into my senses,

creeping through louvered windows.

*

The strong jasmine scent

from just beyond the stucco wall,

so sweet and sharp in full bloom,

nearly chokes me.

In the shadows, mongrel dogs bark,

silencing the song of tree frogs.

*

Thump, thump; Poco drums

echo from a moonlit gully.

A distant Sound System plays,

the bass line drifts,

bouncing on the cool mountain breeze

until the rhythms meet and mesh.

*

Drum, bass; breathe in, out.

Like the womb, it feels familiar.

Subtle and bold all at once,

I welcome them,

these primal omnipresent patterns

joining to form their lullaby.

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[Author's Note: This poem was first published in the chapbook, Beyond the Horizon: Journeys in Poetry and Prose, 2010]