Nocturne in Black
by Bonnie Wehle
On those days when the sky
persists in remaining deep cobalt
and the clouds, charcoal gray,
ravens gather at dusk,
hunch in trees like soldiers
in overcoats, as if to guard
against the night. They weight
the branches, blot out the moon.
I nest into the dip in my mattress,
draw my duvet to my chin.
Ebony feathers pester
the shadowy clefts of my mind,
sweep at the darkness
longing for light.
Outside, a raven chorus
challenges the night,
croaks a dirge that hungers
to be a hymn.
persists in remaining deep cobalt
and the clouds, charcoal gray,
ravens gather at dusk,
hunch in trees like soldiers
in overcoats, as if to guard
against the night. They weight
the branches, blot out the moon.
I nest into the dip in my mattress,
draw my duvet to my chin.
Ebony feathers pester
the shadowy clefts of my mind,
sweep at the darkness
longing for light.
Outside, a raven chorus
challenges the night,
croaks a dirge that hungers
to be a hymn.
Bonnie Wehle’s work has been published in Coal Hill Review, River Heron Review, Heron Tree Literary Journal, Red Rock Review, Sky Islands Journal, and elsewhere. Her chapbook, "A Certain Ache: Poems in Women’s Voices," was published in2022 by Finishing Line Press. Bonnie lives in Tucson, Arizona with her dog, Tillie. She serves as a docent at University of Arizona Poetry Center and facilitates a monthly poetry circle with the county library.