Light and Sight

Light and Sight

Winter’s drear brightened by sun on snow,

Cold, and deadly, and beautiful.

It can be hazarded for a brief time,

But when too chill makes you drowse,

The deepest sleep one will ever have.

Singing sands are there for the listening ear,

Fresh water may not be close.

A day’s journey for wondrous diversion.

But watering the senses does not slake a thirst,

Mind and body have their demands.

The second home standing alone at the lakeside,

Cleaned and made use of perhaps twice the year.

Paid for in hours that ignore more common relations,

A status that chews at the heart in more than one way,

A life lost between floors of an elevator shaft.

Smiles that coruscate at every instance,

An indicator of promise unsaid.

A shining lamp given to everyone,

To take place of what cannot be spoken.

Skulls grin permanently when stripped of the flesh.

I stand at a window wondering what it shows me,

Am I fully aware of what my sight tells?

What is hidden behind shine and polish?

Is there more to see behind the pretty brushstrokes?

What secrets do the glare and glitter hold back?

Cliff Lake 1/11/2023

CliffSongs