Sunday Scribblings #241 - Bright Idea

My bright idea is actually dark. The dark of the night sky to be precise. I love the stars and the night sky. This is a piece I actually wrote awhile ago, but I think it can fit into the bright idea category. I live out in the country and got tired of not being able to see the stars from my yard because of the bright yard light that is standard issue from the power company. Then finally I called and made them take it down. Here is my offering:

Starry Night

When I lie awake,
And sleep won’t come
I walk out the door
Into the inky, blue-black sky
Of 3:00 AM
And look up
To find the stars
In their places.

Not far off
I hear the roar and swish
Of Highway 8.
Who is behind
The head lights that
Slice the night?
The baker
Speeds to work;
Soon her sweet rolls will
Will be taken
All over town.
A semi carries
Crates of round, red apples
In from Washington.
I hear them in the dark,
And look up to the sky
Where Orion greets me.

I’m told
Those in
Tokyo,
London,
New York
Can not see the stars
For the garish, sodium lights
We set between
Ourselves and the heavens.
And so the insomniac in Tokyo
Can take no comfort
From Perseus;
Ursa does not wink
At the nocturnal Londoner;
And Polaris
Cannot guide
The wanderer through New York

Darkness and light
Must be together
To be seen,
Felt,
Known.
To have
The jewel-bright lights
We must also admit
The dark
And when we shut out the dark,
Or medicate it away,
We are trading
The beautiful
Heaven-full of stars
For a puny night-light
Of our own
Design.

And so I call
The utility company-
And tell them
To take their light
From my yard,
So When I lie awake
And sleep won’t come,
For thinking of you,
I walk out the door
Into the inky, blue-black sky
Of 3:00 AM
And look up
To find the stars
In their places.