befriending darkness

sometimes, still, i fear
the darkness. deep within the
recesses of my

memory, timeworn
stories hold sway over the
comings and goings

of thought, habit and
belief. but i am coming
to see that it, too,

offers a comfort
as soft and warm as the light
I so often seek.

in many ways it
holds me closer within its
folds and valleys of

sweet, sacred silence.
it comforts me, coaxing the
tenacious fictions

of fear, aloneness
and separation to loose
their determined grips

as breath slows, shoulders
drop their unseen burdens and
something deep inside

lets go. the darkness
says, "remember, child, you know
me, the Eternal

Consoler. the one
whose center is everywhere,
whose circumference

is nowhere. you know
me, for you are not only
part of me, we are

inseparable,
you and I. there is nothing
I am that you are

not. you know this, deep
in your bones, you have simply
forgotten from time

to time, life to life.
now, savor this sweet moment
of remembering

and allow yourself
to bring it to the surface
of your thinking, to

guide your every
waking hour. I am always
with you. all you need

do is call yourself
Home, one breath at a time." so,
i begin again.

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