Keeping the Dark at Bay
No light switches to grey the ebony black Till the night beyond the windows begins to grey And the sun creates a delicate pink Against the blue howl of the wind Left behind by the lightless dark. My world reduced to circles of yellow cast by candles Begins to expand beyond my lantern But not to the global proportions of the internet. The cat traverses between flickering flames How does his tail not catch fire? He toys with his fresh caught mouse while I boil my eggs upon the wood stove My internal clock trying to guess the time While avoiding the question of how much longer with no power Will the water, wood, candles and batteries last. Will the sun break through the now clouds Its light war the studio interior Only shades of Whistler grey are promised I dare the windows to assure myself the winds have not blown the world away in the night. J. Binford-Bell December 16, 2016