Nightfall

One fine, clear beautiful evening, while sitting in the west texas desert waiting for dark, paul composed this poem about his impressions of the coming of night and the thrill of being out in the middle of nowhere.  we hope you enjoy it.  close your eyes and breathe the desert air.

Soft breezes rustle in the trees around me,

There’s a fragrant smell of grasses in the air.

I watch the sun complete it’s daily journey,

And reflect upon the reasons that I’m there.

I’m there to watch the coming of the evening,

To watch the birds assemble for the night.

I’m there because a hundred thousand jewels

Will sparkle with the going of the light.

I like to watch the wave of darkness coming,

A purple shutter closing out the light.

Yet as it comes, another window opens,

A window on the magic of the night.

There is so much to see, so many wonders,

That one lifetime isn’t long enough to see

The smallest part of all the wonders out there,

To understand just how it came to be.

So now I know the purpose for my being

Is to share with others things which I can see.

I must be sure that people coming after

Can watch the sky when I have ceased to be.

© 2000 - Paul Downing

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