The safety of campground lights are out of reach
like a city across the river but the stench lingers
as liquor on my uncle’s breath while his hand
creeps like shadows of skyscrapers across empty streets
when night falls, and it has fallen.

Somewhere, there’s a thousand simultaneous footsteps beneath
coruscating stars that hold my gaze through the tainted red sky
until I’ve lost them to the canopy – to the dark –
where my uncle leans in and asks a question that
I only somewhat hear through the impenetrable silence, and the wind.

edit:

The safety of campground lights are out of reach
like a city across the river but its stench lingers
like the liquor on my uncle’s breath while his hand
creeps onto me like the shadows of skyscrapers
across empty streets when night falls.
It has fallen.

Somewhere, there’s a thousand simultaneous footsteps
and taxis to hail down, but in these woods I am alone.
coruscating stars hold my gaze through the tainted red sky
until I’ve lost them to the canopy – to the dark.
My uncle leans in and asks a question that
I only somewhat hear through the impenetrable silence
and the wind.