When light bursts out,
night runs away.
Light wins, erases dark,
But in shadows, memories stay.
Marks where dark lived,
Not gone, just deeper.
The bright may show
Where night’s veil once was,
Walking prints left
Before being undone.
As brighter truth shines in, open,
Less stuff is held in this world’s traps.
You control the switch
That lets light’s grace shine,
When dark creeps back
With its hidden fears,
Only a watchful soul can guard
The small sun that’s near.
Night hides not just
What we can’t see,
But covers the self in shadow,
Doubting what’s real.
Turn light inside to
Light up dark rooms,
Clearing the dust that blinded
With its gloom.
Always changing like sun and moon
Are the lights and shades.
What brightness showed
Must sometimes in night fade,
As new dawns of light
Break through with their rays,
From night’s deep paths,
Heaven’s secret ways.
Look too long at suns
And blind your eyes.
Through dark you might find
The balance that brings clear sight.
Not just chasing any light,
But watching where its power lies,
Lest it burns to dead ends,
Its force drained and dry.
In cycles of shadow and shine,
We walk our souls’ ground,
Each light a step
On wisdom’s twisting road.
Hold both light and dark,
For in their dance we grow,
Opening old truths
In the rise and fall.
Illuminating the Shadows
Isn’t it fascinating how light and dark play such a complex role in our understanding and growth? This piece beautifully captures the interplay between illumination and shadow in our journey towards wisdom.
The idea of light erasing dark, yet memories staying in the shadows, reminds me of what Carl Jung said about the shadow self: “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” Even as we gain understanding, parts of our past remain, shaping us.
When the poem speaks of “walking prints left before being undone,” it echoes what philosopher Martin Heidegger meant by “thrownness” – we’re always already in a world of meaning, even as we create new understandings.
The notion of controlling the switch that lets light’s grace shine brings to mind what Viktor Frankl, Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, said: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances.” We have the power to illuminate our inner world.
The changing cycles of light and dark reflect what Taoist philosophy calls the interplay of yin and yang. As Lao Tzu put it, “When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.”
So what does all this mean? Perhaps it’s about recognizing the value in both our moments of clarity and our times of uncertainty. It’s about understanding that wisdom comes from embracing the full spectrum of our experiences.
Remember, every encounter with light or shadow is an opportunity for growth. As the poet Rumi said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”
So if you find yourself in light or in darkness, consider: What can you learn from this moment? Because isn’t that what makes life so rich? This constant dance between illumination and shadow, each revealing different aspects of truth. Your path to wisdom winds through both light and dark. How will you navigate it today?