It’s 8 o’clock in the evening
The birds still sing
In the silhouette of the trees
A bat flies past
as if he knows where he’s going
The trains whisk people home on the train
The planes overhead emit fatigue
As they hurry people back to their lives
After business trips or holidays
Frayed tempers, tired children.

Beethoven’s Kreutzer Sonata
Plays all the while
Shedding its notes
Into the hydrangeas in my garden
The rosebuds and lilies
The scented rosemary and verbena
And as I sneeze
The birds sing a chorus of bless you
And goodnight
As dusk finally falls.