Lynn White

Silent Night Unholy Night

She lay there still

in the silent night

quiet in her bones

quiet in her flesh

but her heart was drumming

loudly

and her head was screaming

louder

still

still

her bones

and flesh

were quiet.

The parts that can be seen

were quiet

quiet as the night,

the unholy night.

So no one noticed the noise.

Still Night

I thought I would paint a still life.

Perhaps a still still life

dead still

dark as night

unmoving

unconnected to life

set up for its decorative value

or the challenges it presents

to the artist or viewer.

But now in the night it’s invisible,

still waiting for the light

still waiting 

to come to life

still unseen

in the darkness

where it’s still night

forever night.

New Day

The loss of light came as ever

as the year drew to a close

like the loss of light coming

as a life draws to its close.

That’s when the day ends

and the forever night begins. 

But now,

strangely

a new day begins

at midnight

in the middle of the night

when darkness is at its

blackest,

its most intense

and only the night owls

are out and about

heaving their midnight sighs.

Only for them is it still night.

So I breathe in the dawn

and against all the odds

I let the new day in.