At dusk, the light thins—
a fading bruise
across the sky— as the underworld
rises in me again.
Shadows gather as though answering
a summons,
soft-footed and loyal,
the way memories are
to the wounds that made them.
I walk through the hour
where living and dead
blur at the edges, where thoughts
grow heavy with things
I cannot share
with anyone still breathing.
The air chills.
Windows gleam like watching eyes.
Every reflection flickers—
not a stranger,
not quite myself—
but as something ancient,
as a gate half-open.
In the glass, Hades wears my face:
not in malice,
not in mercy,
but in recognition—
as though he recognizes the darkness
I drag behind me,
as if he remembers the softness I buried.
I lift my hand to twilight,
and he lifts his too,
mirroring me
with a tenderness
I don’t expect
from one who tends to the forgotten.
For a moment, I think he envies
the living, for a moment,
I envy the dead,
the last few traces of light fade,
and the world decides
who I am again.
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted for Open Link Night #396 (with Live Edition) @dVerse Poets Pub
29 Responses
Oh I love the journey into Hades’s realm. The way I imagine the envy between the living and death, that veil that seems to thin with your words… just lovely
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“I lift my hand to twilight,
and he lifts his too,
mirroring me”
The mimicking here is astounding
Another powerful poem
Much♡love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
Much love back to you 🥂
A stunning poem, with a hint of mythology, Sanaa, and such memorable lines, I love the contrast of sky and underworld with that fading bruise of light, and the windows gleaming ‘like watching eyes’, so eerie, especially with the idea of ‘something ancient, as a gate half-open’ – and a great ending!
Thank you so much, Kim 😍 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
this reminds me a little of Persephone as captive to Dis except the dusk is not so easily caught
“not quite myself—
but as something ancient,
as a gate half-open.”
Thank you so much, Laura 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Love this! Magic. I love the spell of dusk too.
Thank you so much, Colleen 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Hades god of the underworld. You nailed this poem and its visual imagery that packs a punch.
Thank you so much, Charlie 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Oh wow! That zig-zagged with the emotions. I love how the ‘normal’ dread of the dark and death reframed to a secret desire, developed an attraction that is often ignored.
Thank you so much, J Cosmo 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Impressive from beginning to end. The ending is perfect.
I especially like this stanza,
Shadows gather as though answering
a summons,
soft-footed and loyal,
the way memories are
to the wounds that made them.
You are too kind. Thank you so much, Ali 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Vampiric allusions run through this, Sanaa, sent shivers down my spine…
Thank you so much, Andrew 🙂 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Sanaa, the title of your poem is a poem within itself ~~ I inhaled each word and cannot wait to watch/listen as its read tomorrow!!! I must not be late ~~~~i
Thank you so much, my dearest Helen 😘 so glad you enjoyed it! 💄❤️
A very lovely reflective poem, Sanaa. I like the awareness that we are both prone to good and bad it seems.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so glad the poem spoke to you 💄❤️
Wow, this has so many layers. I read it three times and picked up different nuances each time. This is the stanza that really gets me:
In the glass, Hades wears my face:
not in malice,
not in mercy,
but in recognition—
as though he recognizes the darkness
I drag behind me,
as if he remembers the softness I buried.
Oh, that lost softness…
Aww gosh! Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you liked it! 💄❤️
A beautiful, powerful poem, Sanaa. It has such a melancholy darkness to it, but also a tenderness.
“I lift my hand to twilight,
and he lifts his too,
mirroring me
with a tenderness
I don’t expect
from one who tends to the forgotten.”
Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
“soft-footed and loyal,
the way memories are
to the wounds that made them.”
This is brilliant Sanaa!
JIM
Thank you so much, James 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Very nicely written Sanaa. 👏