NIGHTFALL
NIGHTFALL
by B.Z. Niditch
Fearsome response
in red green orange
light switching silence
along the salt lick highway
stopping in shadows
a cifer from bloodshot
red eyes sleepless
in the strata, blood and stone
of your nature
by the wave
of your hand and ocean
through revisions
of winding tunnels
of near and far sightedness
in blue random hours
of your narrative
half-speech
passing asylums
prisons
platoons
the lost are never found
seeking cognition
and every idol and star
goes for a swim
This is a transitory state sustained as a mood, evoked by the sky but also the seashore–a blending of colors, elements, perceptions, and expression, with “fearsome” allusions to “blood.” It is a half-waking state that might take over, “seeking cognition” by “the lost (who) are never found.” This phenomenon may be specific to celebrities–“every idol and star goes for a swim” in it, confusing their public and private identities. But then we all at times get blurry on this issue. An evocative piece whose statements and imagery take off in many directions worth personally exploring, perhaps at one’s peril.
Dear Randall Nicholas,
Your understanding of the depth and imagery of”Nightfall”
has an apt critic’s eye and a fine poet’s ear.
BZ Niditch