The Company of Shadows

Our lives are full of darkness;
cosmic, 
medical, 
personally unique.

We construct brightness
as a wall against the gloom:
our focus is on shiny,
and our eyes are on the light.
Folk stories tell of Heaven,
or Jannah, or Elysium,
where Light eternal gleams.
We huddle around our campfires,
singing chants 
against the dark,
finding comfort with our tribe:
the security of distraction.

If only we would let our eyes
grow accustomed to the murk,
we’d start to see
reality
that has been there all this time.
Drop our need for gloss,
for shine:
let us explore the shadows.
Let us understand
what is 
here.

Only then,
when we embrace the dark,
and understand our fear,
can we march into a future
unblinded by the light.