167. Fading Lights

As the night creeps through the air,
the stars slowly come into focus,
the galaxy stretching across the sky
like the slick slide of bleach
on the black fabric.

The birds fall silent,
the flies disappear like magic;
sometimes the wind stops too.

And the mosquitos appear
under the yellow temple
of the fluorescent lights.

The moon continues its journey,
the slow stretch of a circle,
watching us dance,
laugh,
share stories
and food
long into the night,
when the moon has flipped over
from a curve like a frown
to the crescent of a smile.