I have been living
closer to darkness
than I thought.
See how my shadow
is longer than the woman
who makes it. It moves
with me at the same pace,
every step.
I have tried to push back
the darkness. I have tried
to hold only light.
As if it were a war.
As if to be in darkness
were bad. And who is it
that is afraid of the dark?
And what would happen
if I let it swallow me whole?
I walk out into the night.
I look up. The light
on the corner gets in the way.
It is a long time
before I see the stars.
Did you intend to answer your inquiry with the next stanza? “…if I let it swallow me whole?//…The light…gets in the way. [Like darkness does for those who ‘hold only light.’]” I like how the manmade light hinders perceiving the natural, guiding lights. (OMG! Is there a lesson, there?) :~)
That first stanza sure sets up the war, turning a shadow into a foe. But I like how the streetlight at the end intrudes, because it suggests to me that the starlight behind it has a more primal role, An enduring complement with the night.