night butterflies

 the beam of hall light reaches under my bedroom door
 darkening in shifts as if little feet are standing there
I open to see if it is my daughter
but instead find her in her room asleep

it is 2:00 am and as usual
I find myself awake
I am thinking about the photographs
the ones I took a few weeks ago when
my dogs wouldn't stop barking at this one area
in the living room

things had calmed down for awhile
no noises that couldn't be explained
I was even sleeping 
but now the knocks have come again
my dogs bark for hours at empty corners

the dogs are asleep now
as I watch human shapes appear
in the sheer bedroom curtains
a moth comes out of nowhere
and flies to the door where on the 
other side someone stands 
even with my bedside lamp on
I see the shadow shifting beneath
the door as if listening to the 
sounds of me typing this

 I wait listen and watch
not much else to do 
as the orbs swirl around me like bees
the moth lands on the wall next to me
we perch in these dark hours
as night butterflies do
ready to take flight
at a moments notice