Night

Part 1: The Stars

 

 Come forth, ye stately steadfast stars,

Thy twinkling lanterns light,

And mark thy places in the sky

To start the flow of night.

 

Still many wonder what ye are,

Though not thy shape or size,

But what ye deep within conceal

From our surveying eyes.

 

Ye dot the darkened sky with shapes

Of justice, peace, and war,

Which, though unmoving, tell in full

The tales of ancient lore.

 

For ye as storytellers serve,

And ev’ry tale ye tell,

Though ages old, still hold the world

In their enchanting spell.

 

Ye as a compass serve as well,

So those who are astray

May find their way back home again

Before the break of day.

 

Through virtue, passion, solace, bliss,

Through shadow, sorrow, strife,

Ye guide us down the rugged road

That winds and weaves through life.

 

More lanterns year by year are lit,

And further dot the sky,

For we are bound to join thy ranks

When ’tis our time to die.

 

Thy magic dissipates at dawn,

But shall once more flow out

Upon the sun’s descent at dusk

When all the lights go out.

 

Part 2: The Moon

 

They call thee the cheese rock,

The silver balloon,

They call thee amore,

And a loony buffoon.

 

Sublime and silent at the helm

Amidst the dark and mystic realm,

No matter what thy shape may be

(A pie, croissant, a ship at sea),

Thy silver beams make abstract art

When they between the shadows dart,

And shimmer over lakes and streams,

Through windows, trees, and in our dreams.

Thine ardour, like thy grace, shines bright

Across the calm and soothing night.

O blessed moon ne’er cease to ease

Our fears and make them reveries.

For thou dost ease whate’er unease

Had chanced to bring us to our knees,

And sow in us throughout thy stay

The will to face another day.

 

Part 3: The Tempest

 

Hark! Mark the tapping rhythms of the rain

Upon the roof and on the windowpanes.

So comforting is this melodic strain,

Which briefly rids us of our cares and banes.

Crescendos rise with Thunder’s sudden crash,

And set another mood for it to play.

The sky becomes aglow with Lightning’s flash

To show what beauty lies beyond the grey.

The tempest merely plays a solemn tune,

Arranged symphonically for us to hear.

’Tis not an act of wrath, ’tis but a boon,

Which further proves there’s never need to fear

This orchestra, despite it startles so-

It but refreshes life with ev’ry show.

Part 4: The Darkness

 

The darkness swirls from pole to pole,

Becoming thick and thin at will,

Engulfing all except thy soul.

 

Thou art well hidden be thy stroll

Along an alley, street, or hill-

The darkness swirls from pole to pole.

 

Protector be its trusted role,

And thus through night performs its skill:

Engulfing all except thy soul.

 

Fear not that any rogue or troll

Awaits nearby in want to kill-

The darkness swirls from pole to pole.

 

Wait not for morning bells to toll

Where darkness is most wont to fill,

Engulfing all except thy soul-

 

Walk on, head high, fulfill thy goal!

Make of the darkness but a thrill.

The darkness swirls from pole to pole,

Engulfing all except thy soul.

-EDP

Reviews

[mattavelli]

Hello, emi! :)
Looks like you've got the night covered. Nicely done!
The last stanza of part one seems unfinished, but the rest rhymes and flows nicely. In the last stanza, I think "achieve" would fit better than "perform".
Why did you choose to use the archaic language?

[emipoemi]

re last stanza of part 1: why did it strike you as unfinished?

re "achieve" and not "perform": good point, I'll consider it, but just so you know, "perform" is used as more of a "go ahead and do" rather than "accomplish it", for the whole point of part 4 is to allay the childish fears of the darkness.

re archaic language: my blog would answer this question. Post entitled "About my poetry 1"

I'm so glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for reading.

[mattavelli]

Hi, emi! :)
I commented on your word choice because we don't really perform our goals. So it's a kink in the read. We reach for, work toward and achieve them.

Regarding the stanza that I mentioned, it reads like a placeholder, like you had the thoughts but not the phrasing. I say this because throughout the poem you are speaking to the stars, but here, without transition, you change direction. The rhyme is also not your best.

[emipoemi]

Understood.....and the rhyme is good for what it is, as when the last word rhymes with itself, it's the penultimate word that should rhyme, which happens.

[Kathy Van Kurin]

'Night'
emipoemi,
You must of truly enjoyed this one, it is very lovely and descriptive sharing the grace of God's Night creation. We human beings are pulled by nature and the night season is part of that. This was like being courted by a loved one and charmed by the precious beauty of the one we love.
Bless you,
Kathy