Ode to Night

An actress dressed in satin black
She walks onto the stage.
She lifts the curtain, dims the light,
She holds the audience in fright
Like rabbits in a cage.

She puts the boring souls to sleep,
The poets feel their might.
A friend to beast, a friend to man,
She smiles and conquers in a span
With terror and delight.

She lifts a veiled graceful arm,
A goblet full of shine.
She speaks a toast to the dark
And all the world upon her mark
Imbibes the sanguine wine.

It penetrates a heart of stone,
It drugs the clearest mind.
The weak - they steer off the lane,
They shriek in fright and go insane;
Their reason - deaf and blind.

And like a sparkling falling star,
And like a magic wand,
She swings her hand, she throws the gift
Of vivid dreams, and flying swift
They land, they sink, they bond.

Without waiting for applause,
The actress leaves the floor.
The curtain falls and ends the play
And for another half a day
She enters no more.

10/98