A Shot in the Dark

I turned the prow once more
To head for home
Setting my gear
Setting my course.

No passing trees or buses to chase
Here in the dark I set my own pace
My battery front light its beam narrow and stark
Like a beacon sends ahead cutting a swath in the dark.

Nothing but silence night has swallowed all sound
Only front tyre noise as it’s licking the ground
Swallows broken white lines as forward you surge
Towards unseen hazards and potholes you’re urged.

A world’s white fore and red aft you’re in safely ensconced
Turning of pedals and breathing pointers of making your course
Once more on the last long climb home’s slopes you warily embark
Now a monster whose shape is cloaked in the dark.

Each orange street-side light pulse counts down one by one
Your safe delivery back at the gates of your home.

.phil king