“To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
–Wendell Berry
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Poetry can be a safe guide, a wise presence, so you don’t feel alone while moving through the inevitable dark places in life . . . . Like a trowel that digs the dark, compacted, wintered earth to prepare it for spring planting, hearing or writing a poem works upon your life so something new can grow” (Poetic Medicine: the Healing Art of Poem-Making by John Fox, pp. 29-30).
This dark realm is like the womb before birth when life can only be felt. Feeling your way through the dark places inside can be frightening and liberating. Relying on the book All the Answers to Life’s Questions won’t get you through the night. The light of reason fades into nothingness in the blackest night. But wait! The dark “blooms,” the dark “sings.” Not only does this not sound scary, it’s downright inviting.
Go willingly into the singing night. Let the dark blossoms embrace you and comfort you as you explore the dark recesses of your being. Leave your sight behind. Sense the night. Feel the night. Intuit the dark light. Here is a short poem I wrote inspired by Berry’s poem:
enter the night
where black flowers
burst into song
Photo Credit:
Photo by Peter Shanks
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Linked with Thought-Provoking Thursday.
This is an enticing post about the relevance of the black shade. Often we all shy away from black, thinking of it is as either frightening or inauspicious, but post reading this share i got to know a whole new and a distinct meaning of the black color. It is indeed because of the black that the presence of light is considered valuable.
Thank you for your insightful comment, Aayna.
Terry recently posted..The Sacred Battle
No one can truly appreciate the beauty of light without experiencing the darkness of the night.
Thank you for your poetic comment, Joy.
Terry recently posted..The Sacred Battle
Hey Terry!
Lovely poetry! It’s great how I stumble upon this site to read on something that just uplifted me completely. I enjoy being in the dark literally simply because it makes me appreciate things that give out light no matter how small they are. But figuratively, no one wants to go through dark days of problems and negativity. I guess this is just a way to appreciate life’s little light bulbs of blessings! I’m currently inside a dark womb myself and I can’t wait to be born to experience the light again! Your share is short and definitely sweet!
Thank you for your kind comment, Don.
Terry recently posted..Feather Breath
Very interesting, you should check my poetry…
Thank you for your comment, Gavriel.
Terry recently posted..The Christian Writer: Strength in Weakness