A Little After Midnight 

Out tonight after all is done,
	A little past midnight,
A cool breath of air,

Clouds parted overhead, 
	A sliver of western sky
I can see through the canopy,

Castor and Pollux, 	
Jupiter settling in boughs
Of an old deodar cedar,

Water drips from sodden branches,
	Squawk from an owl nearby,
Turn, and when I look back,

Stars again obscured, clouds racing
	From the coast, 
March in Oregon, rains return,

A changeable season,
In a mutable time,
Near the end of the road.


March 27, 2025