‘In the dark times
will there also be singing?
Yes, there will also be singing.
About the dark times.’
~ Bertolt Brecht
In the dark times, we light candles,
place them in the window to guide
lonely wayfarers home. We hum,
as we stir the thick soup, wash
all the pots, set the table for
whoever will come.
We curl up in a chair by the fire,
with soft cozy blankets, and a
glass of red wine. We remember
our grandmother, telling us
to watch for fairies dancing
in the flames, and how, at her house,
it was always peaceful, always summer,
her garden full of sweet pea and lilac,
and the certainty that, one day up ahead,
when we were no longer children,
life could be
just that peaceful,
just that beautiful.
And now,
because she showed us how,
it is.
In the dark times,
we come together, break bread,
share empathy and humanity
and hope.
In the dark times,
we come together
and sing.
In the dark times,
we dream.
We dream of spring.
Shared with earthweal's open link
Dark times are rough, a help hand, or even a cheering word helps sooo very much. Been the receiver of the latter.
ReplyDeleteYou also have reminded me of the time I got Dad's pickup stuck truck in a snow drift crossing the road coming home from school. My cousin, who was riding to her home with me, and I walked a ways to the nearest farmhouse. Those folk were very nice to us and helped us to get out of the closed up road.
..
The house where it was always summer (because that was when you were taken to visit it)--a lovely insight.
ReplyDeleteThe Brecht epigraph is a great lead to this poem which is ironic and defiant of his sense, which sings IN dark times and while its all about. So warm and lushly!
ReplyDeleteGrannies are great ! Ours were anyway :)
ReplyDelete"In the dark times,
ReplyDeletewe dream.
We dream of spring."
Beautiful. :)
The ending sings so true - in dark times we do often dream of spring renewal and light to ease the darkness.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely. Remembering the grandmothers is always a powerful experience. Their energy has been very present for me lately too even though we are having a very warm summer over here in Oz right now. Suzanne - Mapping Uncertainty
ReplyDeleteLove the opening quote... words of resistance against the dark that reflect in your poem.
ReplyDeleteyou make the dark times sound wonderful... i guess that's because of the way you think hope. i like that, well done
ReplyDeleteI like the message of this poem, Sherry. Dark times bring some blessings, and when we live through the dark on the other side is spring.
ReplyDelete