"Only The City Lights Left On" a Poem by Dalton Johnson
ONLY THE CITY LIGHTS LEFT ON
Half past the first tick of the little hand,
dark skies, yet the moving ground illuminated
from the lamp-lined streets burning throughout the night.
Incapable of grasping the essence of the moment, stumbling upon another’s church with a bench along its side
and my favorite hugging tree.
Awe yes, my hugging tree, so tall and whispy
you sway in the wind, yet to firm and uncomfortable to hold for long. I smell you... comfort.
It is true, I could not sleep, for my body aches
of fatigue from a hard days work and my cluttered mind questions the unpredictable future.
Yet, my foolish thumbs let the woman I have tried so hard to forget
know she goes unforgotten.
Read: 12:32 AM
The message says, yet, no response. So,
My feet wander away from my hugging tree and
Flap down the path to another distraction, instead of Doing the hard work to improve myself by:
Putting down the bottle,
Using the blank pages of my journal to reconnect with my soul, Maybe, seeing a therapist once a week,
Working out and sleeping alone,
Spending time with friends,
Showing up on time to work,
And...
Nah, cut the preaching,
I don’t believe in God,
I’ll just scroll social media instead.
Order Your Copy Today: Buy on Amazon
Order Your Signed Copy Today:
Get your signed copy of 51 Poems For Humankind To Think About. Dalton Johnson's first book of poetry. These 51 poems are his critique of American hustle culture told from the perspective of a young man returning to the world after years of living off the grid on less than $500 a month.
These poems capture the internal battle of consumerism, American greed, humans loss of connection with the natural world, and pokes fun at some of the absurd cultural norms of adulting. Each poem touches on different parts of American's superficial society in hopes of promoting the change from group thought to individuality. For it is at the individual level Johnson belives you unlock your true self.
As you read these poems take some time to think about what stirs inside of yourself to find where you can change and grow into the human you want to be today and tomorrow.
Please Note: Signed paperback will be shipping the middle of April, 2025 and should arrive by the end of April
