A darkened room,
A quiet place,
Where shadows haunt,
And thrive.

A rainy night,
A tired stranger,
Looking for a place to stay,
And sleep.

As he drives,
His mind wanders,
Into what came before,
And what will come after.
Will he live through the night?
Or will he perish in the flight?

He drives up slowly,
Head lamps blazing.
Is this the place?

The blinding light cuts
Into the shadows that haunt,
And so the darkness dies.

Crunch, crunch, crunch
Goes his feet on the ground.
Bang, bang, bang
Goes his heart like a drum.

Ashaking hand,
He reaches out
To the door.

Thud, thud, thud
Muffled footsteps from inside
Click, click, click
The tumblers slide into place.

The door creaks open…

A voice from the dark
Reaches out to him,

‘Come in…”

Unwillingly,
He obeys

But as he steps inside,
The light goes on.
A cheery fire welcomes him in.
And old lady
With a broad grin.
Finds him a room.

And so he sleeps,
Relieved and amazed,
That even in the darkest of places,
He found light.

And as he sleeps,
His mind wanders,
Into what came before,
And what will come after.
He has lived through the night.
And he did not perish in the flight.