The Migration of Darkness

[Editor's Note: Many thanks to Peter Payack for giving us permission to reprint his work for a limited time in conjunction with Greg Beatty's "Reading the Rhysling."]

Each evening, shortly after sunset,

darkness covers the land.

     Having mystified thinkers for millennia,

     the mechanism for this occurrence

     has now been identified: migration.

Darkness, it has been found, is composed

of an almost infinite number of particles,

which roost and reproduce up north

where they have fewer natural enemies:

     Forest fires, lampposts, lasers, blazing sunlight,

     torches, candles, lighthouses, limelight, and electricity

     are relatively rare in the polar regions.

These lightweight bits of darkness

flock together and fly south each evening

to more fertile land in a never-ending search

for an abundant food supply.

With the coming of the rising sun,

they return to their northern nesting grounds.

However, not all specks of darkness migrate.

Some that are less adventurous

     or downright lazy

choose to stay behind.

These covey together, in varying numbers,

seeking shelter from the strong sunlight

     by gathering under leafy trees, behind

     large rocks, and underneath umbrellas;

     hiding in alleys, between parked cars,

     in caves, and inside empty pockets.

These clusters are perceived by us as shadows.

They have a somewhat shorter life span

than those which migrate.