FOR LIGHT

Light cannot see inside things.
That is what the dark is for:
Minding the interior,
Nurturing the draw of growth
Through places where death
In its own way turns into life.

In the glare of neon times,
Let our eyes not be worn
By the surfaces that shine
With hunger made attractive.

That our thoughts may be true light,
Findjng their way into words
Which have the weight of shadow
To hold the layers of truth.

When we look into the heart,
May our eyes have the kindness
And reverence of candlelight.

When we grow old, that twilight
Would illuminate treasure
In the fields of memory.

And when we search for God,
Let us first be robed in night,
Put on the mind of morning
To feel the rush of light
Spread slowly inside
The color and stillness
Of a found world.

John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us