late evening

what's absent from the day is present here
no mention of the shadow is complete
without explaining just how its defeat
brings its return since it is what we fear
most of all things we hold nothing so dear
that we would serve our turn on judgment-seat
to listen as the liars vainly bleat
knowing that what they earned is very near
instead we give ourselves to mistress night
in all her mysteries we sink so deep
that we forget the words we have to say
to pass from dark into another light
when we awake from just a little sleep
to find it has so long been clearest day