By Lantern Light by Mike Williams 07/03/2016 @ 7:20 A.M.

When the hapless eve turns into the ill-fated night,
And weary feet walk longly by the dim lantern light,
Where the moon's face in the black hardly does show,
And the dreaded path casts shadows beneath the latern glow.

A cracking sound of twigs give cause for the soul to stir,
Eyesight grows faint and the imagination begins to blur,
The crunch upon the dry foliage rustles under my every step,
I quicken onward through the dark trail with a little more pep.

A Barred owl flaps his wings vigorously in the top of the tree,
Belting out "who looks at you, who looks at you... ooo" near me,
The haunting call echoes out into the thick air of the night,
As I scurry double time and start to run in a panic of fright.

The clang of the latern as it rocks back and forth in my grasp,
My nerves set on edge as my heart races and I swallow hard and gasp,
I think to myself "too deep into the woods this night I did roam",
Then the clearing appears before me and a vision of home.

I trudge up the grass covered hill toward my familiar little house,
And begin to walk calmly to the doorway quietly as a field mouse,
I blow out the flame of the lamp and place it on the nightstand to stay,
Crawl into my bed safely and leave the memory of woods far away.