the dublin quays,
night on the river,
a little way west
and quite nearby
to heuston.

cars moving forward
without any pauses
and nowhere to stop
around here.

bicycles going,
pushing headlamps
before them,
white lights like rabbits
in steady advance.

and buildings, all black
of the heaviest colour,
leaned on the lighter
black sky. I love it; could live
in this velvet-
deep darkness. this all-
over black, the occasional
detail of streetlights.

the tail of a flame
wagging from a lit
source of kindling,
dodging through pieces
of coal.