A lone car pushes its headlights
through the half-darkness below.
Streetlights scatter across the hill,
a tired imitation of the silent stars,
shining fiercely beneath thick blankets
of cloud. I turn down my bed, draw a bath.
Lights wash the night air
with the colorless pale of sleep.
The parking-lot tarmac shines
with puddles of rain-slicked streetlight.
(Written after a day of teaching & travel, on the eve of the National Writing Project 2006 conference in Nashville, TN)
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3 comments:
So vivid! the descriptions inspire a fresh view of life's happenings
Hi Amy, I found your blog from the Via Affirmativa website. Me and my friend Curt were looking at it last night while talking about art and the Kingdom of God.
I've been meaning to call you for 6 months now after getting your phone message about the "do it scared" note in your Bible. We'll talk soon
/sam
Part I: The car is alone but still it is pushing itself. Shining its light into the darkness.
There are other lights in the distance but their diminished light pales compared to the natural light above.
The light from above is powerful, it is not impeded. (Maybe the clouds are intentional to "soften" the light so it can be more easily received by those who need it?) (Moses needed a veil.)
Going to bed. You are tired. You've been pushing yourself. Baths are slow - not quick like showers. You need to relax.
Part II
Lights washing -- the light is cleansing, it is pure. Yet, the light is still in the darkness - darkness that does not know the beauty of color.
The parking lot (darkness) shines (with the reflections from the puddles) from the streetlights.
The puddles are important because the rain comes from above. The streetlights are not participating in their own power, and so the car is not truly alone.
How could the streetlights know God could use the rain to reflect their light in the darkness? So God is beautiful, mysterious, and powerful, as well as just smart.
Amy, your poetry is your strength-
if times get dark in Seattle, don't forget that.
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