Darkness versus Light

 

The burst of sparks

high in the night sky

booming against the

clock chimes and church bells

call out “midnight”

to the warmth

and humidity of the

southern summer’s

New Year’s eve.

When the fireworks finish falling,

and the clock’s chime checks out twelve,

and the church bells clanging fade away,

all that is left is the

frightening silence of the

black sky

the pinpoint stars

and a heart beat.

The aftermath of midnight

is the glistening teeth

and red tongue just before

the swallow down the

slippery throat to despair.

The black hole stretches to

engulf and squelch

the last rays of Peace

Love,

Hope,

Dreams.

Then it is there and in a wink,

it is gone.

A firefly’s light

remnant of the sun

blinks against the emptiness

and shifts the focus from:

dark sky to a billion stars

dungeon hole to eternal freedom

stagnated selfishness to dancing harmony

loneliness to synchronized solitude

helplessness to hopefulness.

In an instant the lens rotates

perspectives sharpen.

A tiny turn

to choose tonight to see the

darkness of the sky

or the light of the stars.

Elena Huegel, January 1^st , 2001