A Shot in the Dark

In the dark, the savage and the noble
Look the same; the barbarian horde no more
Than a ghostly flock of swans. In the dark,
Violence resembles courage; viciousness
Takes on necessity's pallor. The merciless

Appear kinder. Darkness closes our eyes
To waking truths. In our dreams, we are
No longer victims of circumstance. The power
Is in our hands, and all the consequences
Fade with daylight. In dream, the dead come alive

Again. But today, in the desert, darkness
Descended, seducing red rage from one
Dazed finger, dispatching the dead forever.
And the waking dreamed on, painting smiles
On dead faces, frowning their reveries.