Nightfall

Tonight is for forgetting.

Rushing into the black-lit apartment,
closing the door,
missing the light
every time I go
for the switch.

Where could it be?

It was on the side here –

Darkness threatens
to stare me stiff.

I just had it –

the full-length mirror
is a pale angel.

Windows clear.
No noises –

and just when all
feels safe
my hand is swallowed
by night.

*

Samuel Strathman is a poet, author, educator, and the founder/editor-in-chief of Floodlight Editions.