I came home late yesterday,
surprised to see the day lilies
curled back up for the night.
I thought they’d been given their name
because of their short lifespan,
not because they wax and wane
with the moon. Inside, the news
was spewing opinion. About
the verdict, the dead young
man, the acquitted defendant.
I think back to that night.
The misty rain, the shadows.
How one man had a choice
to open his door or to keep it shut.
How everyone has the choice
to open the egress to malice
or keep it closed. Even day lilies
know we acquiesce to light
and secure ourselves against darkness.
Even they know there’s a time
to be still, and let the night move on.
