I Crushed a Can at Midnight, by Daniel Smallegange

I crushed a can at midnight

And I sunk too deep

I thrashed around to music

While all the gods did sleep

Dancing with the stars

Fronting like a Tsar

An island on my own

Hissing at the flames

Begging for the rains

While I crushed a can

I crushed another

It was then that I

Began to wonder

How it all began

Where it was she ran

And how the times do change

Until I danced this free

I sang for solace and revenge

Alone alone at midnight

Where I crushed a can

I crushed and crushed and crushed them all

Until my vision swam

I railed and cried and gnashed my teeth

Coughed and puked and staggered

And then I took to swagger

And walked the pain away

Until the moonlight

Ran from me like rain

And the dawn arrived

To whom I crushed another can

By Daniel Smallegange, copyright 2014, all rights reserved.

Photo of the author, approx 2010, Toronto.

In a Certain Light, written by Daniel Smallegange

In a certain light

In a certain view

I can see and contend

Exactly with you

With what you say and

What you mean

All you portray

What to glean

From all your frontings and fixed countenance

Your damn gloating and false pretence

Such effortless allure I wish I could procure

Lovely contours also you can imprint upon me

Anytime night or day

However and when

My point of view shifts

When I stumble or fall

Everything is less focused

More obscure

And the truth of you

Shines as through an open door

That's quickly shut

So this blurs and fades

Shades of light

Yellows and grey

But your silhouette remains constant and

Pulls me your way

I orbit you like some doomed planet

Caught heavily by your sway

But it's difficult to

Read through the lines

Divine truth from lies

However and ever

In a certain light

In a certain view

I can deal and contend

Exactly with you

So, long may it last

As good as it can get

After all and as they say

There's still life in me yet

Written by Daniel Smallegange, copyright 2026, all rights reserved.

Pic: I am in the centre, with a couple friends at a bar, from many moons ago.

Home Sweet Home, Comic by Dan Smallegange

 

Comic by Dan Smallegange, all rights reserved, copyright 2023.

DAN (This is on the shelf by my stairs :)

 

There She Was, Dancing in the Moonlight

There she was and standing tall

Dancing under the pine trees

In the moonlight

The night was cold and brisk and clear

And my glasses were fogging

I wiped my brow and squinted low

Rose to my full height

And realized now

I'd forgotten my dance shoes

But still with a will and desire less brave than foolish

I moved forwards the light

The damned moonlight

Clearing my throat

My sweater felt bunchy and awkward

But there I was and there was she

Dancing under the pine trees

Why are you dancing, I asked

And to what tune?

I dance to save myself and others, she said

The tune is on the wind

Oh, I said

Oh oh, said she

My glasses I removed and used my sweater to unfog

Though this was not recommended, the wool you see can scratch

But what was one to do

Besides I thought it looked cool

And then she paused in her dance

And gazed upon me

Under the pine trees

In the moonlight

Want to grab a bite, I said

I could eat, said she

And so off we went

Away from the pine trees

And the damned moonlight

To an all night diner on 32nd street

By Daniel Smallegange, copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No AI used ever!

Photo of the author, along the Thames, early 2000s.