A Star to Guide Her (2009 revision)

The darkness tonight walks inside and out,
Beyond gray walls, within unmovable stones,
and the cold eats scared trails into your soul,
the cold, yes, and the antiseptic smell.

Time flows, uncounted, unnoticed, unstoppable,
Outside this door, inside this door,
measured by the beeping of indifferent machines.

It’s dark tonight, yes, inside and out,
and the cold wakes the demons that wait in her sleep,
the shades and the shadows, that sit at the gate,
that keep her locked in a darkness greater
than you can understand.

No, there are no lights tonight.
There never will be any lights,
no matter what you would give
for a star
to guide her home.