After a late night
Storm,
I am left with
No power.
The remaining clouds
Block my view of
The moon and stars,
There are no street lights,
No glow from the
Bedside alarm,
Nothing to alleviate
The absolute darkness
Around me.
I am left unnerved,
Blind to anything that
May be alien to where
I am accustomed
My furnishings to be.
As time passes,
While I search for
A candle or
A flashlight,
Every floor creak,
Every stray moan
Of the wind outside,
Every little noise
Has the power
To intimidate and
I must work to
Keep my nervousness,
My fear,
Under control.
Finally I fumble my way
Into the washroom and
Find a desperately sought
Treasure, bringing solace
To my overactive imagination.
Thank heavens for
My camping lantern!
As I look around
Within my circle
Of light
It is easy to understand why
Those of us who
Rely solely on our eyes
Are at the mercy
Of their limitations.
We have four other senses,
Four other ways
Of experiencing the world
Around us that we
Take for granted,
Never honing them
For survival.
Perhaps there is value
To be found in
The darkness after
A storm.
It reminds us
That we are,
Beneath our sophistication,
Still elemental beings
Not really that far removed
From our ancient ancestors,
And are subject to
The same fancies
And fears
As those who never knew
The safety of
Modern light.
Looking around me
As my nerves settle,
I am left to wonder,
When the lights go out
Is it we
Or was it they
Who are the most sophisticated?


c. 2020
Image by Lukas Baumert from Pixabay