Darkness Captures

when darkness captures —
(captured darkness)
rush to sun-filled day and it's dull

when darkness captures
(captured darkness)
and the heart fills up with liquid darkness,
becomes a pool of inky shadow

below, the earth: hollow
above, the sky: blank and dull
cry for help, a silent echo:
likely didn't cry out loud —
only to the pool of inky shadow

there is ...
no one to help
no one to hurt
not one at all (that matters)

because the faces floating by
are but empty masks —
a sight reflected only (if at all)
in the pool of inky shadow

life's no good, again; no, it never has been
don't remember the light
don't know what it might be like
(to see or be a person)

then, mood — and moment —
vanishes:

when darkness passes
(release the darkness)
life is good, again; we say it always has been
we don't recall how darkness held us fast
don't recall the inky shadow —
the liquid darkness in our hearts —
is a dream ... don't quite ...
a dream ... don't want ...
don't remember

when darkness passes
(release the darkness)
life is good, again; we say it always has been
behind the masks are people:
people that reflect in our hearts
and the sunlight? it burns so bright

life is good, again; we say it always has been
we don't recall the inky shadow
the liquid darkness in our hearts
is a dream ... don't quite ...
a dream ... don't want ...
just please don't remember



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In dark moments, people, sometimes even one's own self, disappear from view, and hope seems like madness. In bright times, the world is vibrant, crowded, and welcoming, and the discouragement seems petty.

It is like a captain of a ship. At times the sea is calm; at others, stormy. No captain rightly runs his ship if he believes the sea will never change. But if he can stitch these two disparate truths together, then he can perhaps navigate the storms with confidence and wisdom.