Past midnight.
I know the hour very well
Without a clock or chime;
I know the time
Without the tide,
The moon's ancient spell.
By smell alone,
Of soot and ash
And lantern gas
In ancient quarters,
On cobbled lanes
I sense the evening wanes...
But dawn will come again,
Long before we ever dream -
You or I -
On bolsters made
Of last night's spilled carafes
And hollow laughs
Until the time we both awake:
Past midnight,
give or take.