“The light will leave– and you must reckon with what follows.” Tom Thomson

When Darkness Falls by Joan Currie

The pale rose of dusk
lingered longer than I expected.
I knew there would be a parting–
a lover’s touch
I wished might go on,
but wouldn’t.

I left the path
to find a higher place,
hoping to hold
the last of the light.

But darkness came at once–
a dull closing,
as if a door had been shut
behind me.

I was off the trail,
caught in the undergrowth,
turning this way and that,
not knowing.

For a long time
I did not move.
Branches shifted.
The woods held their breath.
Something unseen
pressed close.

Then I saw it–
a faint light
threaded through the trees.

I went toward it,
careful now,

thinking
how little it takes–
one small light–
to be led out.

Have you ever followed a light in the dark?