Like many a lonesome rose riotously blooming, I have kissed darkness
on the mouth and found it’s only light hiding behind a veil,
as embers of delicate peach ignite the distant sky
“the world is cruel and full of lies,” I heard darkness whisper
as two birds ultimately come to rest upon a branch.
It’s all right to re-evaluate after every passing decade, as strands of poet’s hair
shimmering brilliantly in the sun undergo change,
it’s human to feel the light and dark
it’s human to fall prey to viciousness every now and then,
cut me and I will bleed red just as you
I have this feeling that you want me to believe you are incapable of love
when life seems tough and spirit feels low, remember my words
‘you were created to wade in unknown waters’
“we cannot fence in hope,” I heard darkness mumble
as one of the birds flapped its wings in approval.
Blackness now descending floods the city as gloaming dies,
while ghosts in a cemetery nearby cause lurkers to not make a sound
the landscape is a dried-up hole where prosperity once reigned,
“pain brings out the worst in people,” darkness said to me
as clouds drape themselves over the trees
this is what the world will look like once Chernobog takes over,
I glanced away so that darkness could not see my tears.
Asudden a glass upon the side table topples and falls to the ground,
I sit bolt upright with my heart pounding
and memory of the dream as fresh as they come
the beauty of dystopia
is that it allows us to experience the worst possible version of reality
and while the struggle between opposing forces is real
I can’t help but wish that it didn’t have to be this way
as two birds basking in the morning light circulate gently
when a new season begins.
Like many a lonesome rose riotously blooming, I have kissed darkness
on the mouth and found it’s only light hiding behind a veil.
Photo credits: Chernobog & Belobog @ anarh1a
I have kissed darkness
on the mouth and found it’s only light hiding behind a veil..
Your opening line captures the essence of one’s relationship with light and dark. This is a most profound interpretation of the myth. I love the paradoxical ‘beauty of dystopia’ as you reach your conclusion.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Kerry 😍 so glad you enjoyed it! ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt) 🌹
I sometimes feel that we embrace darkness only because the light is too painful to gaze into… maybe we need some shades for our soul
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
A lovely romantic play-out of the myth. I agree with Bjorn. Sometimes we need the shads of grey to navigate the light and the dark.
Thank you so much, Toni 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
“Like many a lonesome rose riotously blooming, I have kissed darkness
on the mouth and found it’s only light hiding behind a veil.” Love that line. Often it is the gray we learn the value of color, of experience. Beautiful writing
Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I’m in love with the opening/closing lines. It takes a lot of daring to kiss what you were told to fear. But we can’t ever see the true beauty without being vulnerable.
Thank you so much, Rommy 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
I love the repeated lines in the opening and closing stanzas, Sanaa, the image of a rose kissing darkness on the mouth – and finding ‘it’s only light hiding behind a veil’ – wonderful imagery, and the wordplay hints at the falcons throughout: the two birds coming to rest upon a branch, and later one flapping its wings’, and the word ‘prey’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
“it’s human to fall prey to viciousness every now and then”
The matter-of-fact tone of this line makes it really power and true (and a bit scary, too, if we really think about it).
Absolutely ❤️ Thank you so much, Magaly 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
You put the maxi in the mini-challenge, Sanaa! LOL
I really like the questions this asks… like, maybe we are actually incapable of love? Why not?
Thank you so much, Marian 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I loved this Sanaa. I too have kissed darkness on the mouth, but for me the taste was bitter…
Thank you so much, Rob 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I especially love the lines quoted too. I feel that dismay, envisioning the future, knowing life on this planet could and should be so much better than this. An epic write, kiddo.
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
I love the idea of darkness being light hiding behind a veil. But yes, pain does bring out the worst in people – whether it be physical pain or mental pain. When someone lashes out oftentimes, there is something deep causing the reaction. Sometimes I have to tell myself it is really not about me. But darkness is really hard to deal with at times. You have explored the subject well.
Thank you so much, Mary 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
Despite your opening lines, you then led us so deep into darkness, I was tasting despair – then suddenly you brought us back to that beginning, with a new, powerful, positive energy. The meaning of those words strikes home with new force. Brilliantly done!
Awwww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
I’ve come back for seconds and this time, I’m delighting of that kiss… the one that turns darkness into something that isn’t scary, just waiting to be explored (with care).
Thank you so much, Magaly 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
So many beautiful images
Thank you so much, Jae 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Darkness does speak with wisdom. I love time as strands of a poets hair. I think the two birds are the duality we live with.
Thank you so much, Colleen 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
perhaps we need the yin and yang to co-exist, to live. to know darkness we must visit it to hear what it has to say.
you write so beautifully.
Thank you so much, Lee San 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
In this world of duality we see distinctions, but perhaps you are right – light and darkness are one.
This poem is stunning. Loved it Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Myrna 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Brave you, to kiss the darkness. I wonder if I would have found, as you did, light behind the veil, or something else entirely?
Thank you so much, MMT 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
I’m a little bit speechless, Sanaa. So brave, and touching, open and hopeful. I like seeing darkness as a wise and loving guide, and the risk, vulnerability and reward of seeing it so. Thank you for this this morning.
Thank you so much, H. Hennenburg 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you ❤️
This was a beautiful rendering of dystopian imagery and the masks of darkness and light. The lines carried an eeriness that matched the sense of birds sweeping close by.
Thank you so much, Chrissa 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
“we cannot fence in hope,” happy for this quote
Thanks for dropping by my sumie Sunday today Sanaa
Much❤🕊❤love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
much🌻🌷🌹love
Beautiful! I love the repetition of the couplet line that bookends and enfolds the piece. That is a device I have seen you use before, and you do it so wonderfully well … thoughtfully chosen, impactful words perfectly strung. Awesome writing, Sanaa!
Thank you so much, Wendy 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Wow! A stunning piece. I love it!
Thank you so much, Ayala 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️