Singing in the Dark

The shadows learn to sing
when the city turns off its lights
a cold chorus aligns upon the concrete
Every corner becomes a staff
the extinguished lights mark rhythms of rain
and footsteps brush against cold iron
Language has no words, only chords
of silence that tremble among the manholes
and the air learns a new intonation
In the morning, the noises return home
but the song remains etched upon the dark
a memory of shadows that refuse to sing