In The Quietness Of The Night Poem by Deanna Samuels

In the quietness of the night
Any sound, any noise becomes heightened tenfold
A dripping tap can echo like a waterfall
The splashes reaching out as spreading across a deep ocean
Creaking floorboards reverberates throughout the house
The building itself sounding as though about to crumble and fall
Even a small mouse scurrying across the floor
Gives the impression of two dozen or more
As the night wears on, the moon spreads its dimmed beams
Dark shadows in the room lengthen, feels threatening

In the quietness of the night
Trees outside rustling and brushing against the window pane
Magnifies as though a raging storm is passing through
Gentle breezes turn into relentless screeching wails
A brook nearby flowing slowly and gently during daylight
Transforms mysteriously into angrily running rapids at night
Distant freight train horn whistles seem a mere few streets away
The rattling squeaking wagon cars taking over the night air

In the quietness of the night
A neighbor's fountain, a daytime pleasure to see and hear
At night, an irritating never-ending noise of cascading water
Domestic cat's shrill piercing cry facing foe in dead of night
The howl of a dog meeting its match resonates the whole area
A baby's whimpering hunger cry intensifies waking near neighbors
Speeding cars zoom thunderously through the nearby main roads
Regardless of disturbing those sleeping in their abodes

In the quietness of a long almost sleepless night
An unhappy dream can turn into a fearful nightmare
Tossing and turning, every twist a turmoil of confusion
Each minute feels as though it is an hour, an hour an eternity
Simple everyday problems evolve into a huge monster
Questioning on how to solve going round and around the brain
And yet, upon awakening, the worry is of no concern
An easy solution found in the cold light of day

In the quietness of the night, there are also the memories
The memories of long-gone loved ones, the memories of lost youth
Memories too, of one's whole life, of what has been achieved
Could a higher goal have been reached had more effort been made?

In the quietness of the night, there is also a calm
A calm of a few hours to have solitude, to be into oneself
Time to reflect the past as well as the future
A dream to plan for, to explore; what is to come, to be in store

In the quietness of the night time moves on, a new dawn breaks
Birds awaken, the trill of their chorus fills the air
Sun rays spread light over the land, the day takes command
The quietness of the night has passed


Written at Courtice, Ontario - 1st September 2020