Though the clouds were thick
And not much light
With little hint of the sun
But the long night had broken
People woke from deep slumber
Able to find their way
Even before the morning fog cleared
The darkness
Became day
The grimness
Became hope
But the long night had broken
People woke from deep slumber
Able to find their way
Even before the morning fog cleared
The darkness
Became day
The grimness
Became hope
No flutter on the water
No ripple in the wind
No fish or whale
To breech the sea
No gull on wing
To cry the air alive
No colour falls to eye
In this world
Of nothingness
In stillness
Drifted I
Aboard a ship
No sails were set
Devoid of all intent
My mind awash
In listless thought
No acts of love
From feckless heart
Yet all the while
And deep below
This ship becalmed
My spirit spare
A current
Ran unseen
It swirled
And tossed
It mustered
Forces unbeknown
Which bubbled to the top
This beauty
This pain
This anguish
This love
This cacophony of being
That is I
That is experience
That is action
Tension of light and dark
Tension of right and wrong
Never grey
Never muted
That mud of fear
That mud of anger
Gripping at my heart
Gripping at my mind
But I will not
Go under
But I will not
Lie down
Or die
In the silence
Of living
Without venture
Allow the night
To enter frame
Count out seconds
Three by ten
Capturing
These timely glows
One from headlight’s driven thrust
Unfurls along the river’s edge
Another rises up
To meet the clouds
Escape from streets
Illuminate
I remind myself
Just take a step
I remember
Where every journey begins
I find my courage
In the many paths already taken
I’ve held the light
before
I’ve made my way
before
I’ve found the path
before
I will hold the light
again
I visit with them
Let the shadows
Fall under my light
Until they become known to me
Appreciate them for their wisdom
Thank them for their insight
Forgive them for their fears and distractions
Illumined, I see their purpose
Just as I cannot know the light
Without darkness
So too I cannot know the darkness
Without light
I thought I knew the darkness well
When I was caught in it
As it touched me
As it coursed through me
I believed the darkness was me
Standing in the light
I sense the true nature of my being
Radiating this warm glow
I have not emerged from the darkness
I have shed it
Like a cloak
Beneath which the light
Has always burned
Will always burn
Has always kept the darkness
In its dark
I am struck by the depth of gratitude
Rising like a sun with my own inner light
For the guidance, support and encouragement
Offered by family and friends and mentors
And the generous kindness of strangers
Who have made of themselves
Friends
I stand here
In the light
With my platoon
Ready to take on
Anything
Thank You