Prayer Before First Light
I long to be free
from the craving
for all things bright
but transient
fierce desires
will one day
be the death of me
and I will lie prone
and gasping
for the pure air
of an Elysium
that has always
been near and far
far and near.
What is the greater sin:
to have known
what there is to know
and see
and not reach for it
or to be wholly ignorant
taking pitiable pleasure
in the bright but transient things?
The question answers itself.
Every breath taken
is a silent supplication
an entreaty
in a dark wintry morning.
To whom does the prayer
ascend
what sacred source
that can bestow
the sacraments
of transparency
and rapture?
As first light breaks
the answer comes
not for the first
or last time:
Fool, pierce the mask
know thy self.
