Good Night Song
rattles around the cave
with all the shadows
for audience.

The shadows say,
“Tell me a story.” 

Good Night Song says no,
story is what’s wrong
with the world.  Story

draws a line through
layers.  Things are 
twice, three times connected
while other things
fall off the bright line,
it’s a sin and a shame.

Out in the valley
below the hills 
that hold the cave
we are shadows too,
also looking for a story,
and we don’t care what 
Good Night Song Says,
we will have one.

We sing
Good Night, good night;
make it up as we go along
here in the valley 
as dark as the cave.
We catch hold of the bright line
Good Night Song won’t anchor
and pretend like mad
that we understand
while whatever we discarded 
to make the story clean
becomes a shadow
and squats in the night,
prepared for a long wait.