‘
Put out the light…But once put out thy light
I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy light relume’ (Shakespeare, Othello, 5.2.7-13)
Lightning blinds us
then shows us
the world in negative:
the whites of our eyes darkened and
the black, alight with ire
A lightning flash
can down a tree
or be the blue touch-paper
to tinder-box dry earth
kindling a forest fire
Put out the light
and we are left in darkness:
but a darkness so profound
reveals the stars
hidden by artifice
Til we become
pilgrims again
beneath the heavens
broader than our burdens, and far
vaster than the sum of our desires
If a lightning bolt could stop our
hyperactivity long enough
we might even begin to see
we are that untamed part of nature we
in fighting hard to tame
neglect to be
© 2022 experimentsinfiction.com. All Rights Reserved.
Image by Kanenori from Pixabay
Written for earthweal
For this week’s challenge, Lightning Falls, Brendan calls on us to:
interrupt our usual programming with flashes and booms of this extraordinary power. Lightning falls: what are we going to make of that?
I already had a poem in mind, having spent the weekend under canvas, and seen the stars and Milky Way in all their beauty and clarity for the first time in years. We claim that streetlights prevent crime, but what thief could take more from us than the heavens we steal from ourselves with our addiction to artificial light? The revelation came like a lightning flash to me.
“we are that untamed part of nature we
in fighting hard to tame
neglect to be”… i love this line Inggrid..so powerful and true
Thank you, Mich: I don’t know why we just don’t get it so much of the time!
Always welcome…this made me pause and ponder.
That’s great to hear, Mich – thank you!
What a lovely poem, Ingrid. Loved it all.
And what you say about street light warding off crime. What crime? There is no crime in darkness.
I wrote a poem about that recently on Medium. Excerpt for you:
There is no crime
for when the watchman descends,
all boundaries disappear:
outlines of houses and buildings fade
mountains and forests subsume into umbra
intoxicated, they surrender
and Earth reverts to
her ancient shape of one whole
— sheltering all in a tender embrace
>>The watchman being Night of course. And then Night hands over the priming to Day. And Day keeps the oath.
So really, what crime?
Sorry… got carried away. 😉
Lovely poem, Ingrid. Blessings.
That’s a beautiful poem Selma! Can you send me the link? I can’t keep up with Medium on top of all my other commitments, but I would love to read this! 🙏
Here’s the link, sweet girl. Not the friend link as I can only share that (free) one from PC. Sorry.
But you and anyone can read no problem. Thanks so much.
https://medium.com/blueinsight/there-is-no-crime-776aa1dc19e6
Thank you Selma 😊
Beautiful, Selma – so well said! 🌟
Beautifully said, Ingrid. The negative image that lightning reveals–both physically and metaphorically.
And how lovely that you got to see the stars in a dark sky!
I recently read a book about light pollution, which is getting worse and worse. To truly experience lightning, we need to be able to accept the dark. (K)
Such a wonderful poem Ingrid!
“but a darkness so profound
reveals the stars
hidden by artifice”
and that last stanza… a lightning bolt moment for sure! 💖
I so loved the title of this piece and found the poetic narrative immersive and important!
Wonderful write, Ingrid. Enjoyed every bit of it. 🙂
Beautifully said, Ingrid! How wonderful you could star gaze.
I couldn’t agree more about the street lights, Ingrid. We are never able to watch the night sky because of the artificial lights.
It was truly wonderful: we are missing out on so much!
So we are. 😔
So much wisdom in this poem – the planetary pilgrims, the untamed part of nature we most need to tame. Glad you saw the sky unfettered. Once on a small island, I saw the sky as it is without lights from below. It was breathtaking.
And this was our view almost every night for millennia: no wonder we have lost our way! Thank you Sherry.
Even a pilot light stands out in the vast of darkness. I love this line “but a darkness so profound
reveals the stars
hidden by artifice”.
Thank you Cassa 🙏
Profound poetry, Ingrid. 🌠 “A darkness… reveals the stars” Beautiful! I enjoyed reading about your inspiration for this poem. Are you familiar with Dark Sky places? Here is the website: https://www.darksky.org/about/
I am indeed! I am lucky that we have quite a few here in the North of England – when the skies are clear enough 😅
Wonderful! They are magical locations! 🌟
we are that untamed part of nature we
in fighting hard to tame
neglect to be –
Excellent ending to the poem. Infuses it with all the meaning necessary.
Thank you Nitin!
“we are that untamed part of nature we
in fighting hard to tame
neglect to be” That is so very true, and beautiful, Ingrid. ✨✨
Thank you Jeff!
A poem that holds truth to our untamed nature. Under a Maine sky I saw the stars without light pollution sparkling across the night sky. I think we forget how beautiful darkness can be.
It is so easy to forget, or not even realise! Thank you Truedessa.
This is gorgeous in the purely poetic sense, Ingrid, but also full of nuance and meaning. Your preface quote is a strong beginning and you never let it down, from “..the black, alight with ire,” to “broader than our burdens,” even the simplest phrase builds depth and feeling. I agree completely about the loss of the heavens to artifice, and as each year the stars grow dimmer out here in the sticks as the nearby city gets larger, I see less and less of that amazing beauty above us in the night sky. I’m glad you got a chance to see it, and to let it make this poem shine.
Thank you for your kind and insightful words, Hedgewitch!
Love it! Great write ✍🏻
Thank you!
Fantastic poem! I liked the bit about discovering the stars hidden by our own artifice – through loss we find things back.
Thank you so much!