A Whole New Illumination

There is not a lot of light from the lamp on the table.
A faint bulb. A dark night. A shade that dims.
Enough to keep the room from blackness,
not enough to see past the circle of light on the table,
and a few books on the nearby shelves.

Better than nothing, you tell yourself.
You know the damage stumbling in darkness does.
Your soul and your shins bear testimonial scars.
But not here. Here there is light. A splash of color,
and, if you choose the right book from the shelves,
a whole new illumination

About this poem.

We tell our kids they need to be careful who they associate with. We adult types need to do the same. Whether people, books, or what we tell ourselves, those voices haunt us or heal us.

Tom