Prie-Dieu: At This Desk, Late at Night

Within this small circle of light do I seek light
to hold at bay the dark — pressing from without,
welling up within — through book after book
and word upon word; reading, sighing, pleading,
do I seek light within this small circle; I am
bone-tired, heart-weary, and stiff at this desk,
where long! I long to rest, so late at night…