Light in the dark

We who create are at our best
when we hear the word
"can't."

When we hear
"impossible."

When our only belief
might be our own
and thoughts turn inward

We thrive when we hurt
when the odds are stacked
when we've been betrayed
or cast adrift.
When the weight seems too much a burden.

We find a way.

We are inspired by the emptiness of
the cruel
the malicious
the ignorant
the self-serving
the self-consumed
the thieves
the liars

We are compelled to fill their darkness
(and our own)
not with the pity we feel for them
or any self-aggrandizement
or thirst for fame
or wealth
or pointless self-pity

No.

We have to fill darkness
with the light of our essential truth.

And also with
the truth we try to find
in others.

The truth is in what spills
from the ruminative soul
from the beating heart
from scarlet-streaked shadows of the mind
truth emblazoned
blood raw
and there
for all to see.

It's the only way we know.