pjthompson | Entries tagged with darkness

In the birthplace of light the shadowmongers slink into the cracks in the stones, always waiting to seep back out. They know night is inevitable, even in that hallowed space.

Yet the light does not despair because the shadowmongers must return again to the chinks and cracks and crevices when the light comes back, cresting the eastern horizon, sometimes dimmed by clouds and storm, but always there.

Neither side ever wins completely, as neither side is defeated forever. Those caught in the war between them must always remember that and take nothing for granted. The fight is eternal.

Nothing is permanent. Everything changes. The eternal verities cannot be counted on. There is no Golden Rule unless we make it in our hearts. Many would rather forget this.

They sit in their huts shivering, even on warm days, even with a fire roaring in the hearth, those who would rather forget the nourishing of their souls. They want a paint-by-number theology that does not require deep reflection. And so the mirrors of their souls show nothing at all.

Their lives are a hollow pit, but the Fog of Reckoning creeps beneath the door and down the chimney, reminding them of what they do not want to see, turning soul’s blood to ice.

The Universe is always in balance, wheeling one way then the other until something crashes, something slips, something falls. Then patiently, the Universe rises again, back on the balance beam, struggling once more to recover.

We are here, on the edge of forever, waiting to see which way we will slip. But the light shines on, never more than a temporary prisoner of the night. The light shines on.

Eternal.

Random quote of the day:

“The memories of childhood are like clear candles in an acre of night, illuminating fixed scenes from the surrounding darkness.

—Carson McCullers, “The Orphanage,” Collected Stories of Carson McCullers

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Bert and Ernie, Celine Dion, or the Band of the Coldstream Guards. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.

—C.G. Jung, “The Philosophical Tree,” Alchemical Studies, Vol. 13

Random quote of the day:

“Great art is always flanked by its dark sisters, blasphemy and pornography.”

—Geoffrey Hartman, Beyond Formalism: Literary Essays 1958-1970

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Desus and Mero, Beyoncé, or the Marine Corps Marching Band. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:

“A little darkness, in itself, at the time, is nothing. You think no more about it and you go on. But I know what darkness is, it accumulates, thickens, then suddenly bursts and drowns everything.”

—Samuel Beckett, Malone Dies

Random quote of the day:

“Those who refuse to listen to dragons are probably doomed to spend their lives acting out the nightmares of politicians. We like to think we live in daylight, but half the world is always dark; fantasy, like poetry, speaks the language of the night.”

—Ursula K. LeGuin, “Fantasy, Like Poetry, Speaks the Language of the Night,” San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle, November 21, 1976

Random quote of the day:

“The problem is not whether the song will continue, but whether a dark space can be found where the notes can resonate.

—Robert Bly, Preface, Selected Poems of Rainer Maria Rilke

Random quote of the day:

“Make up a story...For our sake and yours forget your name in the street; tell us what the world has been to you in the dark places and in the light. Don't tell us what to believe, what to fear. Show us belief's wide skirt and the stitch that unravels fear's caul.”

―Toni Morrison, The Nobel Lecture In Literature, 1993

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Key and Peele, Celine Dion, or Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:

“Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.”

—Sarah Williams, “The Old Astronomer and His Pupil”

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Laurel and Hardy, Ariana Grande, or the Salvation Army Band. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

Random quote of the day:

“The heart breaks and breaks
and lives by breaking.
It is necessary to go
through dark and deeper dark
and not to turn.”

—Stanley Kunitz, “The Testing-Tree”

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Orville and Wilbur, Katy Perry, or the Avengers. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Random quote of the day:

“The heart breaks and breaks
and lives by breaking.
It is necessary to go
through dark and deeper dark
and not to turn.”

—Stanley Kunitz, “The Testing-Tree”

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

I cheated on this. The idea had too many variables, so I turned it into a pair of cinquains.

Twilight
dark, moonless
night, two amber
eyes caper down the street
alone.

Headlights
flash and now
I see the woman all
in black holding tightly to
a leash.

*For a definition of what constitutes haiku, tanka, and cinquains, and for an explanation of this poetry project, go here.

*To see all the poems in one place go here.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

I cheated on this. The idea had too many variables, so I turned it into a pair of cinquains.

Twilight
dark, moonless
night, two amber
eyes caper down the street
alone.

Headlights
flash and now
I see the woman all
in black holding tightly to
a leash.

*For a definition of what constitutes haiku, tanka, and cinquains, and for an explanation of this poetry project, go here.

*To see all the poems in one place go here.

Random quote of the day:

“We yearn so hard and long to be rid of darkness. Yet without dark, there is no shadow. And without shadow, there is no depth perception. Without any depth perception, we have no sense of direction, no sense of what is near or far. In our need to find our way, we are asked not to bypass darkness but to work with it and through it.”

—Mark Nepo, “A Conversation With the Elements: Wisdom and Practical Guidance On Opening To the World,” Parabola, Winter 2012/2013

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Lucy and Ethel, Justin Bieber, or the Kardashian Klan. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

Random quote of the day:

“The eternal stars shine out again, so soon as it is dark enough.”

—Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.