No Light never Dimmed

Make no idol of the lightbulb

Nor the night vision glasses

Nor (may it seem archaic!) worship the moon

Set no pedestal for

The muscular, 

The sweet flatterer

Don’t swoon

Do not sleep for anticipation

Of the coffee

Of the warm milk swirled in

By spoon

Let the sun in all its brightness

Glaringly frighten

With all its seasons, 

Heating, then freezing

Sometimes too close 

And then retreating 

Into six months of shyness

Count on 

not counting on 

the sun

In the north 

Your plants indoors

Withheld from cold 

Wither near radiators

Pining after its rays

Count on not needing it 

As your vitamin D levels sink sickeningly low

Lay out all you like 

It won’t help

Count on your birds flying off

Your leaves dropping 

And your eves filling with snow

Frosty fields count on cold rest

Count on death coming

And welcome her

No prison of lightbulbs never dimmed

For humans will ever do

No light never dimmed for us will do

Need dark night as much as any marsupial

Hedgehogs and owls ain’t got nothing on us night wanderers

Concerts end we return to dark streets quiet and eerie

No life without night for us will do

Frightened by the light as we are

Question affinity to night terrors

Is it not rather angels in the dark who sooth us most

Softly reassuring stand guard in the invisible dark night

Where we too can hide from it all

No. No dark light for us will do. 

We need the bright

We crave the night

And only in resting realizing 

Obscurity is a comfort indeed

Understood best by the stars

Lydiangeline

March 9, 2025