The Approach of Night

The night approaches like a towering silent wave. I pull down the window shade as though it were a dike to hold its surge from flooding the room; it will hold until morning. I feel strangely empowered by this simple act. In predawn darkness, I catch the first glint of light drifting in like fog, the night receding slowly like a weary dog heading home, shoulders stooped, nose to the ground.