"My Night" - A Poem
Through a sliver of openness
A speck of light
One star
Not far from the moon
You will be my night
You will be the taste of air
That I cannot still breathe
Far from this state of fear
Memory of being free
It's hot indoors at night but I can't open the windows because Trinidad is not very safe these day. I leave one window open in my room just a crack so I can get at least a little bit of fresh air at night. It's the most I'm willing to risk. A few nights ago as I pulled the window closed I actually stopped for a moment and looked at the sky and I thought about the fact that things weren't always this bad. While I recognise that there are places where things are far worse (Venezuela is a short boat ride away) I can't help but feel trapped sometimes.
Image sourced from pixabay.com
My great grandmother lived in Trinidad during her childhood (I suppose that makes her a colonist. Sorry.) In any case, she never got used to Europe and became very avant-garde. I share her rootlessness for other migratory ventures, and always thought I might like to check out where she lived (had no clue you already lived there!) and am horrified to read how unsafe it has become. Yes, Venezuela, planned en route, is not so uncomplicated a place either... so travel plans suspended for now.
Not keeping your window open at night anymore must really accentuate the sense of a collective self-imprisonment we are undergoing - and just plain underscore the violence and anger going around. What a waste of a gorgeous sky. On the bright side: another great poem was born.... Life is like bitter-sweet chocolate, I can't live without it.
Thank you @sukhasanasister. I hope that one day Trinidad becomes the kind of place that I could encourage someone to visit again in good conscience. There is so much beauty here but the problems are real and I don't see the kinds of changes being made that will remedy them. They're getting worse. Venezuela isn't just a neighbour, it's a glimpse at our possible future. But I still have hope.
Gorgeous little poem @elementm
Memory of being free
I see your place. And it is a difficult place to be at. But cheer up. joy always comes in the morning!
Thank you @mirrors, I'm not in that place right now but I felt all those feelings really intensely when I was inspired to write the poem. It was one of those moments but morning did come ☮️!
It is the things we carry silently within ourselves which are the heaviest burdens ― John Mark Green.