The following is a poem that I put together using some of my favorite lines from some of my favorite poets. None of the lines are mine; I devised the theme and chose lines to make a poem—hence, the title, “Borrowed Lines.”
“Borrowed Lines”
– Collated by Renee Adele Phillips
Darkness comes too soon tonight.
Thoughts of a dry brain in a dry season:
In headaches and in worry, vaguely life leaks away.
Do they matter—those dreams from the pit?
The reminiscence comes of sunless dry geraniums;
The night has music that calls to me.
I walk into the woods I made, my dark and resinous, blistered land.
Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
It is necessary to go through dark and deeper dark.
Something has spoken to me in the night:
“Let your poison be your cure—
The awful daring of a moment’s surrender.
Your hope must wake while the choice is yours to make.”
Out of the little breath of oblivion that is night,
I find my own small person, a standing self against the world.
Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,
I turn, I turn, exulting somewhat—
and love illuminates again.
Oh, for the wonder that bubbles into my soul!
There will be sunlight later;
The cloud will open, night will decline.
Let these words answer for what is done:
To speak of an end is to begin.
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Comments 6
Interesting, and for me, thought provoking. As darkness comes, I know it will soon be time to go to bed. First, thoughts going through my mind, then sleep. Dreams come, sometimes peaceful dreams, other times, not so peaceful. I am walking in the woods!night sounds. At times, sleep is very restful, renewing me .A New Day, How Glorious, New challenges, exciting. The fog is lifting, The Dawn is breaking. Aw, , Sunshine , Wonderful , a new challenging day. I am strong, ready Tom”take on the day”. Thank you, Renee, you do not let me down on your “wondrous” literary works Love Them.
Thank you, Hal. You put that so beautifully. I appreciate you taking the time to read this and letting me know what you think of it.
Two thoughts came to me–the dark night of the soul–and a sermon I heard that left a lasting impression.
I don’t believe I have to explain the first thought to you, you would know it well and it is a necessary one. It is one of acknowledging, of sinking, of nothingness and of new discovery as we dare to travel along always hoping for that new dawn, for a new light to light the way.
The sermon was from an excellent teacher who pointed out that at the very darkest point of the night, a most tiny star appears and when it comes, it signals that the night has almost passed–it is this tiny star that pulls the night behind itself and brings us into a new dawn, a new morning . He is the the bright Morning Star and His name is Jesus.
Klara–we truly are kindred spirits! I was going to call the poem “Borrowed Lines: A Dark Night of the Soul” but thought the title might be too long. Yes, I do indeed know about those dark nights of deep reflection. I love the idea of the tiny star that pulls the night into a new dawn. Thank you so much for adding that imagery to my words.
That was a lot of work and done beautifully!?
Thank you, Steve! I had so much fun doing it.