Comfortable silence

 The quiet four had been sitting
in silence around the fire,
undisturbed
by thoughts and words,
for several hours

 The moon traveled slowly
across the night,
crickets and frogs sang,
owls hooted and dogs howled
and the leopard walked quietly around,
waiting for a chance to grab
something to eat

The fire was kept low,
and now and then it would be fed
another log

 Flames lept and flowed,
embers glowed
and wood slowly turned into ash

 The stars and the planets
flew quietly by,
and one by one
the fire watchers rose
and made their way through the dark
and to their beds
until just one was left
at the fire’s side,
keeping it company
a little while longer

And when the moon was halfway
to the other side,
he too got up
and returned to his hut
slowly