Nightfall

The night may seem like a cold time of ghost stories,
Of the cackling witch and the howling wolf,
But take a closer look,
And this is what you will see....

The birds sing the last song,
The bats ready for their dusk hunt,
The owl leaves her perch silently.

The sun hides behind the violet mountains,
Beyond the horizon,
Casting the last of its warm glow over the earth.

The moon rises,
Its silvery glow dimly lighting the trees and grasses below.
The stars twinkle and wink and shine,
Radiantly sprinkled across the sky.

The moon flowers open,
Welcoming the moon's gray light.
The fireflies gaily blink their lights,
As they dip in the chill air of the night.

The wild cat hides in the shadows,
Her green eyes ever vigilant,
Of her unwary prey.

The birds nestle in their homes,
Sleeping with the sun,
Awaiting the day,
Awaiting the sun.

The bats swoop and dive in the sky,
Silently scooping up their last mosquitoes,
And then head back to their homes,
To rest until dawn.

The owl, too, sleeps for now,
Waiting for the time when the sun will once again come over the hills.
Little frogs sneak into the darkness,
Chirping the songs of the night.

Crickets join the corous,
Soon, the night is filled with sounds,
The sounds of the midnight creatures singing the song of the night.

Raccoons raid the cornfield,
Nibbling on the soft, white ears contentedly.
Field mice creep from their homes into the darkness,
Pink noses twitching.

Moths fly through the sky,
Their beautiful tan wings catching the night breeze,
They are the butterflies of the night.

This ragtag group of nocturnal animals,
Large and small alike,
Looks for food,
In the night.

The sun begins to rise,
It's scarlet and indigo rays just visible on the horizon,
Marking the start of the new day.

The moon retreats,
The stars begin to fade,
When the night becomes day.

The moon flowers close,
The fireflies disappear,
It is time for the diurnal animals to awaken.

The wild cats hides in her den,
Resting until the night comes again,
When she can once more stalk her prey.

The bats awaken, once again,
Time for their hunt to resume,
The owl, too, flies from her perch,
To prey on a retreating mouse.

The frogs and crickets end their song,
It's time to sleep once more.
The raccoons leave the cornfield,
And head for their homes by the riverbed.

The field mice return to their hiding places,
In hopes to evade the owl's claws.
The moths leave the bright skies,
For their sisters,  the butterflies.

The birds sing once again,
To great the new day.
It is time for the sun to warm the earth,
Until the moon rises once more.

-KittyLover8
© 2012