Exiled, as the day snuffs out,
Cling to smoking sunset ember
Against the long, lone dark to come.
Seek some hovel, yearn for home
Through the tyranny of the night.

Home is restful,
A comfort, and furthermore:
It draws you into its warm,
Safe bosom, source of solace.

Where the home is,
There’s nothing, because it’s so close.
You can’t smell, hear or see it,
Fashioned as it is of you.

On return back from afar,
Unmistakable whiff, faint tick,
And glimpse of signs that you are close.
Let your instincts draw you back
Down the heartening final mile.

Exiled, as the day snuffs out,
Cling to smoking sunset ember
Against the long, lone dark to come.
Seek some hovel, yearn for home
Through the tyranny of the night.

Home has margins,
Edges indiscernible:
Like fire warmth radiating,
Or mother’s dinnertime hail.

‘Round your garden
And block, it watches and tends.
Its feelers encircle,
Guiding back into its embrace.

Further out, a wasteland rings
Where you strain to sharpen senses.
To catch the signals left behind,
You must scout and navigate:
Thwart the false paths on your way.

Exiled, as the day snuffs out.
Cling to smoking sunset ember
Against the long, lone dark to come.
Seek some hovel, yearn for home
Through the tyranny of the night.

Home enfolds you,
A membrane invisible.
Within, you safely relax.
Your true shape reforms again.

Bolstered within,
Step and breath are synchronized:
Clumsiness gone, grace restored,
Effortlessly, thoughts align.

Beyond, pitfalls trip you up.
With vigilance, and ready stance,
Prepare for buffets and deceit.
Strive though hostile, harsh terrain
‘Til your hoarded strength is spent.

Exiled, as the day snuffs out.
Cling to smoking sunset ember
Against the long, lone dark to come.
Seek some hovel, yearn for home
Through the tyranny of the night.

~*~*~*~

LJ Mounteney – vocals
Christiaan Venter – clarinet
Holly Bryan – horn
Nina Horvath – keys
Trevor Tunnacliffe – guitar, bass
Buff Allen – drums