The city stopped humming

The city stopped humming.

Midnight’s usual noise fell silent,

blackout tracing the outlines

of things I usually ignore.

My fingers skimmed walls

that disappeared under the weight

of empty dark,

while the faint glow of my phone

etched my hand in pale blue light.

The silence stretched,

a heavy skin

pulled tight over the empty room.

Outside, distant headlights

washed the street in brief pulses.

No power to spark

the usual buzz,

just this suspended breath,

and me, tracing shadows

that hold their shape

too well to be forgotten.