It is dark

It is dark outside

It is dark inside

 

in my soul there is an

echoing emptiness which drowns out

 

the faint murmurings of hope

 

the violence is endless and growing

fueled by narcissism

and racism

 

fueled by anger

and despair

 

the calls for justice and equity

drowned by the clamor of frantic discontent

 

I want to believe that love will win

I do believe that love will win

 

I understand that the old order

must die

it must suffer through painful death throes

 

and we must fall

at some level, into chaos

into pain

which we can only hope are birth pang

 

before we can find that new place

which is more just

more equitable

 

but still the fear lingers

that hope will be still born

and not draw that first breath of the born again

 

for we have abandoned truth and embraced lies

and we have called good evil, and evil good

we have chosen the way of domination rather than service

the way of violence rather than peace

the way of hate rather than love

 

it is dark outside

it is dark inside

 

and I look for that light

which shines in the darkness

that light that cannot be overcome to flame out

 

not only in my heart

but in the hearts of all those who love Love

 

I pray that we can hold on to hope

Hold on to love

 

people who do not respond to evil with evil

but respond to

and overcome

evil with good

 

this long darkness

is lit by the fires of hate and violence

 

as flames dance from burning cars

and burning buildings

 

this long darkness cannot hide

the blood on the streets

 

this darkness is profound and ugly

and creeps into our souls

 

if the dawn is going to come

we must be the light bearers

we must be the points of light

 

Anne Frank once wrote,

“Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness.”

We must be the people who reveal the darkness

We must be the people who defy the darkness

If not us, who?

 

Lord keep our lamps burning

Turn our darkness into light !  (Psalm 18:28)