Afraid of the Light

You and I, afraid of the light.
Dawn holds no power,
Darkness is not adversely comforting,
But you and I--
We are afraid of the light.

Tendrils of mist
Curling through the tangled branches
At That happy hour--
That darkest moment
When the stars are blotted from our eyes,
The moon just a memory.
A blessing. Crisp and pure.
And innocent.

But why?
Why does blackness sooth
The senses? Held by cool arms
Sluggish, yet firm.
We cannot see, but breathe deeply
The black, black scent
Sending shivers down our back,
Across our skin to our fingertips,
Making us shudder,
Starkly aware.

Why does light make
Us tremble?
The faint whisper beckoning
From the comfort of slumber.
Appealing to the senses, yet waning,
Anticipating...what could
Morning bring?
When we hold the night so tightly,
shunning the sun stubbornly.
Why must we fear the light?

The dawn rises, stretching arms,
Piercing the dark recesses of shadow,
Creeping into our every thought.
Our pores fill with wakefulness
Until we can no longer ignore
The summons. We chase
Shallow pockets of darkness
But cannot escape radiance.

We cannot bear
The heat. Not today or tomorrow.
So we suffer.
For you and I--
We are afraid of the light.