I see you perched
at the highest point
on the top of our roof
What do you see from up there?
I feel jealous of your current
position-The broader, all-
encompassing perspective
Does it lighten your load to see
further into the landscape?
Does it reaffirm that there is
light shining in the darkness?
I choose to believe your answer is Yes!
Suddenly, it was dark
Only moments before, I
watched the sky transform
from grayish-blue
to pinkish-orange
But now, from this vantage,
The sky is pitch-black
Strange, how artificial light,
created to erase darkness, actually
blocks billions of brilliant lights
Lights that serve as a guide
through the darkness
Could it be that progress
keeps us from the wonder
of lying on our backs,
the hardness of the ground
underneath us, unnoticed
Watching the bright lights
from dying bits of rock fly
across the night sky
A battle between
light and dark
waged across the
morning sky.
Clouds shifted in
the swirling wind,
tilting the earth,
causing me to wobble.
I felt confused.
For a moment, darkness
appeared victorious,
blocking the light,
lessening its powerful pull.
But light remained,
rays now dispersed.
An influence
so far-reaching, the
horizon glowed a
reassuring golden hue.
Just then, I remembered
yesterday’s rainbow, and
how the sky glowed
following its fading.
I sat with
The heaviness
All-day-long
My heart wrapped
In a blanket of grief
The day wrapped
In weeping clouds
A peak of the sun
Broke my stillness
Only a glance
Out the window
Surely, I should not soak it in
How could I?
Amid so much suffering
That sweet sunshine
Not to be ignored
Determined to draw me out
Shone a little brighter
Bravely displaying
Light and shadow
Simultaneously
I couldn’t help
Whispering
Thank you
Even as my heart
Continued to cry
Today, I am sharing a poem from my recent collection, When the Glass Breaks. Once again, the day, the world, feels anything but simple. And I know there are no simple answers. But I am reminded of the following quote.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dark clouds rolled in
The face of a grizzly bear
Leading the charge
Angrily spreading darkness
Over half of the whole sky-
The other half was
Partly covered with clouds
Leaving space enough for
A few patches of clear blue
Space enough for
A peak or two of sunlight-
Perhaps it was the sunlit blue
That calmed the angry grizzly
Reminding him of days
Spent fishing in clear waters-
I can’t be sure
But where the two halves of the sky met
Darkness and fear dissipated
And the rain began to fall
As thunder gently rolled away
Far off into the distance
The voice in my head screams
As the one in my heart sobs
A flood of questions
Fills the gulf in between-
Unable to understand
Darkness capable of
Instantly turning
One heart against another
With no consideration of
The humanity within us all
Instead, focused on labels
Created, then vilified by men-
My head barely remains above
This continuous current of Information-
My heart aches for a sign of hope-
Sunlight after a storm
Twinkling star in the night sky
Laughter of a child-
The beginnings of truth
A calling for peace
Though its comings and goings
Are fairly gradual
It sometimes seems
To disappear in a snap
Leaving us to wonder
How it gave in so quickly
To its counterpart-
Not sure they are friends
Light and dark
But their cooperation
Is necessary
For our survival
One allowing us to rest
And sleep, and dream
Freeing space
In our hearts and minds
To notice a beautiful
Brushstroke of the other
As it paints pink across
Smiling sunrise clouds
Seen in a simple glance
Felt in a single step
Eyes compelled
To focus on the source
And not the darkness
Attempting to sneak
Into my periphery–
Though it may try
It cannot block
The quiet promises
Of hope and warmth
Flowing from the light
Lengthening each glance
Strengthening each step
Assurance that this light
Will not be engulfed
Rather, that the darkness
Will eventually disappear
I sensed
Its approach
One morning
Leaving for work
In the dark
Not like an
Impending
Sense of doom
Just a weightiness
Not present
The day before
Changing seasons
Can feel that way
Filled with both
Beauty and angst
Watching leaves fall
After Stunning
Transformations
Mourning their loss
While clinging
To the hope
Of new buds
In the Spring
Relishing falling
Temperatures
Cooling my skin
Mourning the
Consequent
Dwindling
Of sunshine
While clinging
To the hope
Of new light
Following the cold
Dark days of winter
Believing once again
This heaviness will lift
Driving at night
Noticing lights
Shining inside
And outside
All the houses
In a variety of
Shapes and sizes
Perfectly lining
All the streets
Helping me
Find my way-
The Moon
Dimly shines
In the corner of my eye
A star or two, as well
Is there ever such thing as too much light?
Driving at night
Wishing on
Veiled stars
Too numerous
For my mind to hold
I know they are there
I’ve seen them before
Long to see them again
From my speck of Earth
For all the lights
To be turned off
To walk outside
Lay down on the grass
Look up, and marvel
As darkness disappears
Piano Girl 