Nighthawks

 

The streets are empty & the stores are closed,

The whole city is dark minus one café.

Like a beacon the café shines through the darkness.

And yet it only seems to add to the darkness.

 

The patrons are few, two men & one woman.

The café is manned by a single employee.

Four people in total, but the café feels empty.

 

They squint through the blinding light.

They smoke , they drink their coffee,

No words are shared, no merriment is had.

They sit and wait, as if avoiding the darkness.

 

Perhaps the patrons are simply avoiding ugliness

Putting off ugly business, having one last drink,

Before returning to ugly lives. 

Reviews

[OG_athenian]

Having always been a fan of the deep late night calm feeling that Nighthawks gives, I was happy to see that another has appreciated the many levels to this painting. However, I must also admit that the writing style of this poem left a lot to be desired. For instance, the attempt at parallel structure could have been more well thought out, given that the word ugly has many synonyms. I would also like to comment on on the third stanza, which I feel really embodies the strength of this piece. The part about "avoiding the darkness" really strikes me as a viable point of view on this painting. The people seem to be hunched over, wishing to feel the warmth of the sun again, or the warmth of happier times. Overall I feel that you could have made a few improvements, but you have certainly started off your career with a compelling start.

[Gaelle]

I do not read very many poems and thus did not appreciate this poem's well-thought out analysis of the painting until I researched it online. After comparing both I now find your poem very accurate in its depiction of the painter's didactic.

[Sleepygirl]

As i read this poem i felt as if i was sitting there among the silent people and the darkness. Great poem.

[Michael (Letters and Li..]

I liked this. The last stanza really brought it together and gave it such a different perspective. It had a nice level of suspense to it that's quite hard to pull off as well as you did. Very nice, my friend.

[Anastasia Hanna]

The last two stanzas are my favorite. The third gives me a very vivid picture, and the last translates well into how we all feel about avoiding going to work, facing reality, and life itself. At least, that's what I got out of it. Thank you for writing.

[wickedcharm]

Loved the last part! It is pretty dark but that's my style and it's written in simple yet careful language. It is silky and it is tough, showing how life really is.

[Jodi Eaton]

Ohh...I love the ending. The tone throughout leads up to the "ugliness" in the end.

[Heromen Selena]

This is a great poem. I particularly love the lines "Like a beacon the cafe shines through the darkness. And yet it only seems to add to the darkness." It's really cool image to think about. I think it's funny that this poem has 267730 views but uploaded like 3 days ago :P I wish my stuff was that popular! But anyways. Fantastic read and thank you for sharing :)

[lettuce]

good stuff! ~

[OG_athenian]

good stuff! ~