Nights in the Neighborhood

I carry joy as a choir sings,
but quietly as the dark
carols. To keep the wind away
so the hidden ones will come
out into the street and add
themselves to this array of
stars, constellations and moon.
I notice the ones in pain
shine more than the others.
It’s so they can be found,
I think. Found and harbored.



“Nights in the Neighborhood” from Sacraments of Desire. Copyright © 1992 by Linda Gregg. Reprinted by permission of The Permission Company LLC, on behalf of Graywolf Press. This poem appeared in the Poetry Society of America's Poems on Wheels program.