Living After Midnight

After midnight the world seems to change;
The lights still shine as brightly as they did in the day
Only now they are mysterious.
The snow still crunches the same way under your shoes
Only now it is magical.
The noise that chases the day around like a younger brother
Is hiding behind the moon; playing hide-and-seek until tomorrow
And in its wake is a serenity that is incomparable.
After midnight the world seems more adventurous;
Each step now has a thought out meaning.
It is no longer just a note in a screaming melody;
It has a purpose and a reason.
Each thought is taken into perspective
And compared against the hushed glow of the sky.
The frosty chill that you rejected this morning
Now sits comfortably on your cheeks without fear of unwelcomeness.
After midnight, the roar of the traffic
Has transformed into a hum.
When a car speeds by in the distance you no longer ignore it.
You think, “What is he doing out after midnight?”
Where is he going that he must get there while everyone else is asleep?
The children have long since been tucked in.
And the adults are regretting their past and planning their future.
And the youth are succumbing to the insecurities that can only be heard
In the stillness of a dark room.
And the uncaring continue to sleep;
Totally ignorant of the beauty and mystery that is passing them by every night.
It seems so odd that something so incredible
Passes by each day only to disappear with the sounding of an alarm.
But as you sit there in that moment and accept the cold embrace of the air,
You wonder about the people below you.
And you listen to the flakes beneath you.
And you dwell on the decisions behind you.
And you dream about the paths before you.
And you look to the stars above you.
And you smile, because you have just taken advantage of something,
That everyone else has passed recklessly by.
By tomorrow your day will demand attention again
And you will be forced to follow that path of commonality.
But right now, as you are savouring it, you laugh,
Because you know that you are magically living after midnight.