Nocturne
They do not know sunlight
Lightness turned to darkness
But out of the tightest spot they breathe life
Eventually praying for the afterlife
She's holding the gun
As he holds the knife
Eyes are locked together as one
One night but two souls
Which one lives?
Living a lie where only the shadows know the truth
Truth is a piece of her soul was stolen
And since it happened she's been rolling in the sheets
Legs spread
Digging deep searching for enough answers to keep her heart from growing cold Molding to the darkness that creeps into her leftover soul
The emotional toll of the weight of his past
Last longer than his task
Hold her still is what they asked
Morally torn but loyal to his crew
Barely men themselves they hardly knew what to do
Yet they subscribed to the late night drive through
Then headed back to the corner
To make a few bucks from selling food
Dude forget her
She's a nobody
Yet she stayed on his mind
Like pause and rewind
Unwinding with a bottle in hand
Turned into a dependence that had him moving through the shadows of the land
She ran the distance only to fall slave to guilt and shame
Servicing pain she slid her way to the top of the game
Every night they repeat to themselves the same
No eye shall see me,
They put disguises on their faces
Disguising any traces of the people and places
They used to be 3 year old masks
A delicate craft
Demanding the attention from soldiers of the moonlight
They do not know sunlight
So tonight they set off for work
The doctor and the rapper
She helps the block he feeds
2 blocks leading up to the destination
Her estimation is he has no clue that tonight is for justification and self-preservation She thinks it’s too late for the restoration of her heart
She started planning this evening ever since he showed up in the hospital a year ago He's been searchin high and low for the women who saved his soul
Putting the beat back in his heart
Allowing him to finally let go of the demons
His reasons to believe in love
Like two turtle doves
Is waiting around the corner 3 years
Two souls
One night
She says excuse me
He says I know you right
You're that guiding light who saved me
While you're that man who broke me
We have unfinished business
Triggering deep memories he offers his
Forgiveness You left me as a witness to my own pain
She's holding a gun
Now he's holding his knife
Both praying for a better afterlife
One night
Two souls
Same goal
Reflection & Context
This piece was written from the space where trauma and memory begin to tell stories of their own. It explores what happens when pain is carried for too long without witness, when survival turns into secrecy, and when the line between justice, revenge, and closure becomes blurred.
It holds the reality that violence does not always end when the moment passes — it continues in the body, in relationships, in the ways people cope, disappear, attach, numb, or harden. This poem is not about choosing death, but about naming how deeply unhealed wounds can distort love, identity, and moral direction when grief is never given a safe place to land.
At its core, this piece asks what happens when two broken lives meet again — each shaped by the same night, but carrying different versions of the aftermath.
Reflection Prompt
Where has pain tried to convince you that restoration is impossible?
What would justice look like if it included your healing, not just your survival?
Original Performance
This piece was originally performed as part of the Lips & Poetry series, where spoken word meets lived experience. Watch the original recording below to hear the rhythm, breath, and emotion that first carried these words.