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.