A Measure of Light

Words about time, thoughts and self-expression.

I'm in a bright place

it casts strong shadows

where I might vanish

if I take the wrong step

and I can't always

take the right step

not in light this bright

so it happens again

that I fall to the side

enveloped by shade

specific in darkness

it is spectral

and I study you

study me

while I'm a rock

with locked speech

inside a place where

silent words turn

they often burn

and sometimes erupt

abrupt, not always

the right words

said in the night

or snared in bright light

or, if time agrees

the words will go between

and be plainly seen

for the merest of seconds

split by light and shadow

as they become

almost fecund

Author's Note

Thanks for reading!
Please share your thoughts on this piece.
And constructive criticism is welcome.
PS. Why doesn't WritersCafe keep the open spaces when work is put on the site?

Reviews

[jacob erin-cilberto]

"i study you study me"
I always find it interesting to see how others read me in their own light and shadows.
That is why poetry is such a great genre...we write it and let others play with it.
I like the whimsical style here...when we get in a certain mood, the words just come out this way...they fall out in scattered rhyme with a jamming beat.
j.

[LJ]

So sorry I didn't reply to this wonderful comment until now! As I recall, this was one of the first things I put on this site, and I didn't really know how to answer.
I agree about poetry. It's a great medium I'm just now learning... I like it very much. I'm pleased you like the cadence here, and that you see a message plainly. Thank you so much!

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I enjoyed reading. Light never causes shadows. It is the object in the path of the light; absorbing the light and refusing it permission to pass, that brings shadow. Darkness is never a product of light but flees before the slightest pinpoint ray bleeding through a morning curtain. To bring things into full illumination we need remove the obstacles in the path of light. Then, and only then, does everything become plain and certain. Even nature tells us that our species is made for light and not darkness. So here's to letting the light shine inside as well as outside, illuminating our inner selves with the beauty of simple truth. Then, just as we have freedom to move about in the daytime hours because we can see, we may develop an inner freedom and light that allows us see our problems clearly and work towards a solution.

[LJ]

I've very glad you enjoyed it. It's true, all that you say, and makes me realize anew that it's my own self, inside and out, that causes shadows. And maybe I can lay some of that on the learning process I'm in, and will be busy with the rest of my life. So yes, removal of obstacles is paramount. I think maybe poetry is a good way to examine things, to be surprised by things, and to try to tell such things to others. I'm trying that here.
I was having a hard time talking to someone new, someone I really wanted to speak to, and to me, this poem reflects the real and physical ordeal that overcomes me sometimes, when it's really hard to talk at all. I hope to "...develop the inner freedom and light..." so I can converse, and so I can write more poetry that speaks more clearly than I do so far. Thanks for the opening of the "morning curtain." And good morning to you! Thanks again!

[Fabian G. Franklin]

I understand. It's much like stage-fright, being alone up there in the spotlight. I've found that once I start my performance though, the fear bleeds away and becomes replaced by the joy of entertaining. Of course, the applause never hurts. :) I applaud your efforts, likewise. Bless.

[Serene Star]

This is so beautiful !
Waw

[LJ]

Thank you! I'm kind of new to poetry, but I believe it's the best way to write about things too big, too inside, too new, too different. I usually write prose, but I like to write these now, too. Your comment is encouraging.

[Unspoken poet]

This is quite intriguing, I enjoyed this write

[LJ]

Thanks! I found it confusing, myself, when I first re-read it... lol. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[John the Baptist]

The sense I get of this one is that it is a description of the creative process. The bright place is where creation occurs, and it is a sweet space, but also easily disrupted. When the speaker falls to the side, it means the flow has been cut off and "locked speech" occurs. Indeed, the words can be "plainly seen," but sometimes only for a few seconds. "I study you study me" may be a whole other story.

PS: I empathize with you about the spacing. The site doesn't seem to realize that often the greatest impact of a poem is created by the spaces between stanzas.

[LJ]

Wow, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to reply! I want to thank you now, even so late. I like your interpretation of this piece. It's something I hadn't thought of - when I wrote this, I was having literal trouble talking to somebody new and I didn't understand why, so I addressed this to him and try to explain. I'm so pleased it fits for the creative process too. Thanks again!
PS. I decided that a different layout/adding a little symbol in between stanzas both provide those very important line breaks. Hope you can use that info.