Light

 

Light leaks in

levers out reluctant

sight-severing shadows

clinging to the night.

Like leaven

lifting lumpen

dead-dark depths

of deep time secrets,

sheltering

from the piercing eye

of truth.

First filtered rays

coax earth-fast shoots,

waking to warmth,

reaching up to greet

the sun-

source of exuberant light.

defining day, month by month,

sufficient for millions

of plants and trees

to stand tall and grow.

From this light,

black dissecting

those that love the dark

must hide and rest,

conserve, repair -

for in the darkness, too, 

comes healing,

restoring strength,

new season's rising.

And in the depths,

new knowledge is gained,

garnered for growth,

understanding is revealed,

in a cycle of gift and loss,

light' absence

welcomed

for its promise

of life begun

again.

Paul Middleton

Image Belona Greenwood