Festival of Lights

Cherry

By Silver Spun Sand

Sun, 29 Mar 2015
  • 1421 reads
6 comments
 
These windblown, brooding, barren
hills, a far cry from his native land.
Diwali – coming around soon; glances
at the moon, and the stars. 
 
Gets to wondering how many
will die, right now, right this second,
and how many millions of light years
would it take before we’d even notice
they were gone?
 
Autumn around the corner; frost, an early one,
settles in the glen, as he bends down –
tucks a body – a lamb, under one arm...
 
hadn’t stood a chance from the start, 
poor thing, rejected by its kind;  
 
as if it could help being born black,
or even as if it mattered. Mother Nature
can be crueller than Man, sometimes,
 
but I guess she’d have an answer
as most women did; something about
all making sense in the grand scheme of things.
 
Wanders to where his small field
takes its leave of the land – far below
hears the sea harness its constant catch
of shingle and shale
 
where kittiwakes dip and dive – set up
home where reason says they can’t,
and where they say they can.
 
Back on his patch – locks up
for the night.  The cold, and presence
of death, chill his bones.
 
A small, clay lamp, his precious diya, 
a  Diwali relic from his homeland, flickers
at a kitchen window.
 
Goes inside – turning his back
on distant towns and cities and insistence
to outshine glimmering galaxies
 
doing their damnedest, their level best 
to consume lorn lights such as his...
and the light it shed.
Certificate U
Poem
Silver Spun Sand Poems
Spiritual
Nature
Opinion
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

lorn light, forsaken, but you might just be right. 

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Hope so...but then again, not.

Thanks for reading, celtic.  Appreciatedsmiley

Tina

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

A meaningful poem you've written here Tina, the significance of the lamb being rejected brought home the realisation of how cruel nature can be as you said.

Much food for thought.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Glad you got so much from this, Jenny.  Lambs or kittens, as you say, nature always has its own agenda.

Many thanks for sharing you thoughts.

Tina

 

Submitted by tibi popovici on

The second stanza took my breath. After I read it again, I could continue.

A lot of meaning in this poem, Tina, and everything is guided by the light of the festival - of course the universal festival, of existence, maternal manifest and optimism, even if the time digest us all, second by second..., amazing!!!

Submitted by Silver Spun Sand on

Thanks tibi, such wonderful words from you.  A work of art in itself.

Tina