When Night Comes Around
Joe Rodriguez

Past the veranda I sat by myself
Drinking and thinking about the good life
Soaking up the sun and foregoing my health
Who here needs the nagging pains of a wife?
I sway the bottle and refill my glass
And look to where her garden had once bloomed
We moved in last June, made love on the grass
The lilacs she planted wither and croon.
It isn’t so bad here in the daylight
If only the sun would stay in the sky
A violet static hums into the night
Lying in bed I can hear lilacs cry.
The day has undone, the sun has gone down
Everything changes when night comes around.