What Night Not Is

less than a poem, more a collection of images....

Not a cabin banged together with dark wood and nails of stars ;

not the ballast in cold ship full of shouts. Trees are not sewage,

ice is not to be loved, darkness not the cold blanket over dead lovers

nor a black cloth round the eyes of a to-be-shot. Nor the curve

of lights over an airport ; not the dry cancer of a widow or a parcel

of sons or a gift of frost. Not many things -

not even the helpless space between two reduced lightings. 

Reviews

[Larry Dyson]

most excellent use of negative statements..what some- thing is not?..very clever...is the last word lightings...as illumination? or is it lightenings as in weather? either works.. just a question..LAury

[SHEEMA HUQ]

I think this poem poses many tricky questions,
as you have made a range of most unusual
assertions, I enjoyed, thanks

[Richard Man]

Night is where you dream of what night is.

[Ken Simm.]

The visuals this engnders. It pulls itself together through the words bcoming scenes and the scenes becoming a flow. Ice cold and wind swept beautiful words.

[emmajoy]

Ohhhhhhhhh what a flow of scenes and consequent feelings! Love this.. why oh why havent other viewers seen the beauty in your words.. the creation of miniatures for the mind to mull over or the lips to smile at. But that ending.. tis a sadness it is.. repatriation and all .. helpless, empty somehow, yet appropriate.