Closing In

I’ve seen them, upon hillsides

Arranged as clouds skate by,

_____rushing in to promise rain;

They move. Eyes lose them in the darkness

I hear their laughter echo down

_____harsh-lit alleys, cut

_____like switchblades; sharp

_____and passing gone

I hear their voices calling

_____black the earth, and grey the sky

_____where empty fields stretch

_____before the rain, and blades of grass

_____make way for passing feet

The trees beyond, like forest hags,

_____spread their legs like lovers

_____but to swallow them up

Beyond the beaches, beyond the clouds

Where stars look down with cold indifference

Where laughter rings and plots against

The city streets where rain is falling,

_____at last.