On Another Holy Night

Just before bed,
I slide open the door
to go outside
to turn off
the outdoor candles,
unsuspecting,
never imagining
what lies in
wait for me
out on the balcony is
a sudden death…
Oh! I am slain by beauty,
nearly dropped to my knees
before the spilling-over glory
of this world…
Four pillar candles,
aglow on the tabletop;
cashmere, charcoal-black,
the night surrounding;
white-pearl fog,
the breath of night
drawn like a filmy curtain
across hills and streets below;
the lights of homes
softly shining through.
And above the scrim of fog
miles away across the valley
Mt. Diablo, presiding,
silhouetted dark on dark,
its night beacon beaming,
pulsing,
like my heart.

December, 2024
Ann L. Keiffer

Image: Digital collage by Ann Keiffer

About Ann

I am interested in the strange beauty of brokenness, in transforming possibility in difficult times, in how we heal even when we can’t get better, in the alchemy of surrender, in the interplay of light and shadow, in the bounty of everyday wonders, in the gift of laughter…and writing about it, all and everything.

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