Night Painting

Night Painting

by William Du

Night never sleeps, but it can hide.

Long have I dreamt of you in shades

of olivine, deep in a grave,

your face bound in vague question.

Leave it to the daylight outside,

A single thread of sacred light encircling

the world, shedding a luminous rain

on the heart of a colt charging

through the soundless woods like

they were never there.

A shadow passes over the moon,

All that remains is the lantern’s spit,

and I imagine you in a patch of trees,

burning down bright branches of cherries

and elderberries, chopping a rabbit’s

heart into dust.

You will be empty of giants, lovers,

And I will follow the way those exotic birds tread,

the way a caged canary sings for the

red sky and a moon as if lit from the inside.

Warm, resonant and ink-tuned—

now the spirit water sweeps me,

I leave you my clothes, the redbud,

the dogwood, that water strung the griddle.

Will you turn and make a circle?

Or will my song bark you up,

in a way that even now I cannot describe:

all I know is that one day, I will be found

there in the red & black unmetered time

of my body, my arms will float

in the hot water, my hair fanning

as I descend grains of clay heavy enough to

drag my eyes out of the blue-grey,

ocean-breath, towards heaven.

About the Writer...

William Du is a current junior at Delbarton School. His intention with his writing is to bring light and beauty into the lives of those who consume it and provide comfort in difficult times. His works have appeared in the Eunoia Review, the Weight Journal, and Teen Ink Magazine. In addition to writing, William enjoys reading classic literature, playing piano, and writing satire.

About the Artist...

Kenzie Kurdys is a senior in high school currently pursuing the development of her own artistic style.