A Floating World

Every night in the Sky Ridge
Subdivision this April,
Post-sunset skies the color

Of the rare South Philippine
Dwarf kingfisher species—pink
Lavender blue tangerines—

Preened their feathers with black beaks
And disappeared in the night.
Stars and planets blinked their eyes.

Later, distant urban lights
Smudged the western horizon
But not Orion. The homes,

The streets, even the highway’s
Four wide lanes a short stroll south,
Stayed mostly dark and quiet.

A motorcycle. The wind.
Indeterminate siren.
Startled bark. The wind again.

It was good to be home then,
To be so quietly housed,
Alone. The next day. Again.