The Night is Meant For Reading

I wrote this little poem during a 15-minute writing session at my school’s writing club last Thursday and felt like sharing it today. 🙂

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The Night is Meant for Reading

Time changes,
the evening comes home early
from work.
These days that are like gnats
fly freely into the candle of afternoon
and flare up briefly
before dying.
Then smoke and moon and owl hoots
settle in, purring around your ankles
and filling your pockets with dusk.

These nights are meant for reading,
with the lamp dimmed low
and the firelight warming your socks,
with the half full but mostly empty
(but easily refilled again)
cup of whatever makes your belly warm
resting beside you atop the

book, the one you will dive into
after this one, without even changing
the cross of your legs
on the blue stool with the orange pillow
in front of the hearth
beneath the dimmed lamp
near the window
that watches with its cloudy gray eyes.

This night is meant for reading,
and you—you are nothing
if not obedient.

Published by Carie Juettner

Carie Juettner is a former middle school teacher and the author of The Ghostly Tales of New England, The Ghostly Tales of Austin, The Ghostly Tales of Burlington, and The Ghostly Tales of Dallas in the Spooky America series by Arcadia Publishing. Her poems and short stories have appeared in publications such as The Twin Bill, Nature Futures, and Daily Science Fiction. Carie lives in Richardson, Texas, with her husband and pets. She was born on Halloween, and her favorite color is purple. View more posts

8 thoughts on “The Night is Meant For Reading”

This is now one of my favorite poems ever!

Carie Juettner says:

November 14, 2017 at 9:23 pm

Awww! Seriously? Thanks! 🙂

Reply

I can’t believe I didn’t comment on this! I loved it! That whole first stanza–beautiful! What is that comic book you’re reading? I’ve been wanting to pick up The Runaways, since Rainbow Rowell became a writer on it.