I think I will stay here in the darkness,

the ragged curtain closed

across, the light dimmed down

to the sight of a naked flame

waiting patiently

in a gas filled room

and the sheets

pulled over my eyes,

for in the darkness there is no fear,

I am not afraid…

 

I am not afraid

to whisper to myself

because should I shout in the light,

should I raise my fist in anger,

or see the world

in its blazing fire, in its white heat of explosion

I might have to admit that I was the cause

of its destruction

and that makes me terrified.

 

By staying in the darkness,

by being unaware of it all

I stay safe…

 

but safety is not a truth,

safety means oblivion

and I do not seek that course

of action yet,

though I may hide in the dark,

though I may find comfort here,

out there the light must burn,

out there where the single match

holds gas at bay,

It must explode and

If it is to be a lesser man

who holds the match,

then let me see the explosion.

 

Ian D. Hall 2015