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As I wander into the vastness of the pitch-black night,

I'm surrounded by shadows that take the place of the light;

I see before me nothing but the moon and the distant stars,

Joined only by the headlights of a few straggling cars.



The darkness gives way to a streetlight:

As I approach its brilliant source,

The illumination it gives me assures me of my course.

It slowly fades as I walk away, putting itself behind me,

And all that time my immortal shadow lengthens to eternity.



There's a gently blowing breeze that doesn't warn of violence;

The noise is dying down, and I'm immersed in silence.

I find my mind delving into a state of deep thought

Of all the things I have done, of all the battles I've fought.



When my mind comes back, I'm where I was bound for

Wishing all to Hell that I had found more

Of what I was looking for in the hallways of Time,

Knowing I won't find it until well past my prime.



I reach my destination, in desperate need of sleep;

I fall into bed, where my night's rest will be deep,

And I think of all of the places where my mind has taken flight

As I journeyed through the vastness of the pitch-black night.





Patrick Hopkins



First written 9/11/1995, first published in local poetry anthology, "The Listening Room" 12/1/1995