Writer in Residence Nanjing City of Literature 2022

Rivers Flow Day and Night 

Part 2 – Flumen Somnambulist (Sleepwalking river)

Day and night, rivers flow, never ceasing, night time, sleep, human dreams, somnambulists meander, from dusk to dawn, nocturnal eyes alert and alive, human eyes drawn and drooping, minds dreaming of perfect futures and fateful pasts, loves lost, hopes and dreams, somnambulists meander, always moving, never looking back, light fades, houses darken, one by one, lights extinguished, sandman beckons, somnambulists meander, dark velvet envelops, blankets, coats, wraps, caresses, strangles agoraphobic fears, somnambulists meander, the church clocks chime the midnight hour, the dead lie slumbering beneath the gothic tower, somnambulists meander, the wee small hours arrive, silence ensues, not a pin drop to stir, grave yard shift, earning a crust, migrant workers, far from home, yawn, watch the clock, count the seconds, minutes, hours, movement, catch his eye, outside, party people, buzzing, high, ears deafened, raucous din, shared last dances, heading for beds, own or strangers, somnambulists meander, work begins, cleaning up, night time economy, taxi takes his final fare, Uber rushing here and there, street cleaners, shifts in full flow, towns and cities, garbage, trash, ever overflow, somnambulists meander, dawn first light, heading for daytime slumber, sunlight faintly stirs, beckoning life renewed, the nightshift ends, the day begins, slumberous multitudes awaken, somnambulists meander. Day and night, rivers flow, never ceasing.