Paul met a man
who lived in shadows.

His public interactions
mostly took place at night.

Paul noticed his words
evaporated in sunlight.

The man denied he was a vampire
in long conversations.

He worked statistics
in the basement of Wrigley Field.

He kept his special theories
to himself.

All of his analysis
was recorded in a large tome.

When Paul discovered it
he mistook it for a grimoire.

The man expected to be buried
in that book

for another few years
until retirement.

He confessed he wished
to walk the prairie grasslands

under the noon sun
and feel the sun burn his ivory skin.

copyright © 2021 Kenneth P. Gurney