You Can Live in the Dark

Of the 385,000 children born each day,

All of them will cry,

All of them will kick their feet

And cling instinctively to sustenance.

As they grow,

Strong enough to roll, to sit,

To crawl upon their knees,

Each will open wide, curious eyes

To a world alive with motion.

But only half will cradle dolls,

Rocking them to sleep each night,

While the other half will don capes,

And climb upon their fathers' backs,

Declaring themselves heroes of the sky.

And this division will cast

Half the world's innocence

Into the dark.

Being cast in the dark,

You will feel a need to rise as a warrior,

And with that need, you will learn to fight 

and forget to love.

And once you feel fit,

Once you feel you’ve clawed out of the shadows,

You will look around and realize,

You’re not a conqueror of the dark,

But an alien to the light.

Yet rebellion is possible.

You might grasp for the sun itself,

Hoping to cast light in your dark corners.

You might write of motherhood’s beauty,

Of love’s necessity.

But once you’ve lost your voice

From screaming at those that cast you into your corner,

From trying to show them the inherent strength 

That walks hand-in hand with a mother’s love,

You will look around and see that no one was ever listening. 

So, instead, just surrender.

Surrender to the dark,

And your sentence to it.

While the light drops bombs overseas,

Feed the starving, visit the sick.

Turn to the poor, kiss their babies, and brush their hair.  

Do it even when the light scoffs at you,

Do it even when they laugh.

While politicians utter hideous words,

Marvel at a burning sunset,

Or find serenity in nature’s rain.

Do it even when they say it's pointless,

Do it even when they point at you.

And as you sit in the dark,

Singing softly to your child,

Baby elephants across the savannah

Will hold their mothers' trunks

For the same comfort.

While you skip to your favorite songs,

Honeybees will perform a similar dance

To share the secrets of flowers.

And as you plant tender blossoms

And towering trees,

Squirrels will sow forests

With their forgotten seeds.

Winner of Regional Gold Key and National Silver Medal in Scholastic Art and Writing Awards

Inspiration for Creative Film Project

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