The wind came
With bony, unseen fingers,
Stealthy.
Grasped the edges of the night
Before it was aware.

The wind slipped
Through chinks in the window,
Moved the curtain
And, then,
A jeté across the bed.

Disturbing the sleep of trees,
The branches clattered
Up the pitched roof of the house,
Ruffled the tails of slumbering squirrels,
Unsettled the weary birds.

The wind sought.
It did not find.
Restless,
Moved the clouds
Across the sky,
Blew itself away.

Left the night
Awake
To watch the stars,
Fixed and expectant