Fireflies promenade
Their golden tango
As the dusk falls
A crisp night

And I watch
Listening to your heartbeat quicken
How beautiful
The dark can be
But the silence isn’t silent

Never alone
Even in hush
Insects roam
Bacterium multiply
Children snore in the distance
How could you think of such
Obscenities?
There are people
Listening
Waiting
Watching
Always

“No,” you say
There is no peace in the night
Only serenity meant to be broken
By us
Young hearts at play

“Follow my lead,” you plead
A final attempt
It fails
But only partly
As I tempt the boundaries of your devotion

“I’m not sure,” I protest
Standing from our elegant entanglement
Staggering into consciousness

You see my weakness
My flaw
The taint on my breath
The slur in my speech
The trip in my step
And persist with it

I crumble

And once again
You get your way

The face of a coward
Masked by the sweat of a lover
We are puppets
To the night

Never alone
Even in hush
I knew they’d catch on
To our midnight masquerades
Eventually