Lamp bearer, have you been ahead
into the recesses of the night?
Have you seen beyond the veil?
Your vision of our imploding star
inescapable causality in an infinite universe
share it with me so I may
rehearse loss, practice terror
I want to feel the anguish
to savor it, anticipating
an inoculation against the flood
of unbearable and horrific scenes
About the pain –
you must burn me
a bit with your lantern
here in the night so sparing me
consumption by fire in the coming encounter
Stay close, but always in front
I pray for you to feel before me
relay your scarred wisdom
that I may walk under the illusion
of seeing the encroaching void
Help me feign naïveté
to believe I’m never alone
not truly alone
within the small circumscribing glow
of your beacon
a shadow but breathing just the same.
Chromapoetica 
Doctor Who, series four, the library. Good voice, full of dramatic glee.
I did love season 4.
I feel the wind of chaos blowing that flame for all it’s worth, but I echo the sentiment–someone please go first and shine a light. The opening is clear and strong, falling well on the ear, inner and outer, and I particularly liked the fourth and fifth stanzas for image and language. Lovely, cadenced piece, Anna.
Thanks for your feedback. I got a bit mushy and cried in reponse to your wonderful poem Mr Dickens Almost Goes to Washington.
a lovely verse to the lamp tender…if only we could see a bit beyond that veil…but one day…smiles. a tender verse…
Thanks for the visit and all you’re doing a dVerse!
but one day? do you mean when we die? or that technology will take us there?
Another fine balancing act, between the mind that knows and the heart that needs still to believe. This light bearer h/herself is fictive — the lucence of a star collapsed a billion years ago, still reaching our eyes in pre-doom flower — the relic shore of a faith — yet still a comfort, the way the sound of waves is womblike and the plash of these vowels still can bathe us. Eros the immortal was burned by Psyche’s candle – it humanized him, somewhat, made his passion mortal — and so a drop or two from this lantern is enough oil to last this night. – B.
Without Psyche’s doubt we would not have Eros’ forgiveness or her elevation to the Goddess of the Soul. Great insights as ever.
Great comment. You really know how to get into Anna’s work.
Wow…another powerful write. Our poets are pulling out the stops tonight! Loved the imagery “I want to feel the anguish
to savor it, anticipating
an inoculation against the flood
of unbearable and horrific scenes
Intense & vivid..I’m calling a Time Lord.. 🙂
Ha, someone’s got to save us!
that last line is outstanding.
The beginning of this reminded me of a phrase I heard in a poem long ago, that went “watchman, tell us of the night.” as i recall, i didn’t care for the ensuing poem much, but i loved that line.
Thanks, the last line is my favorite.
The thing is to find our own inner light, to be at peace within and, nothing that may or may not be to come, will scare us.
I don’t fear death itself but, I none of us wants to die a long, slow agonising way.
Lovely prose.
Yes, the answer may be within.
Lovely…..the image is so mythical….this lamp(light) bearer….to follow it, to understand her ways….that is magic…bkm
Thank you, I’m glad the poem resonated with you.
..ah, i love the conversation and the connection you made in this piece… very effective.. and a pleasure to read.(:
Thank you for the feedback and glad you enjoyed it.
Stay close, but always in front….amazing security found in that one line. As with all your work I’ve read of late it will cause me to ponder long after this comment posts. Awesome write, awesome visit, (becoming the norm round these parts!)
Thanks!
Yes, it’s certainly both thought-provoking and emotionally powerful.
Reminds me of the old light houses guiding… forever guiding. Lovely piece.
I fear we are all alone in this god foresaken cosmos…………….untill dverse came along!
A searching write – on the second read of this piece it began to resonate, so i went back a couple of times more… It gets better with every read….the closer you look the more you see.
Put me in mind of Zarathustra
Lo, behold a great poem
Ah, I see you are a very clever jester. Good, those are the best, most capable and virtually dangerous kind. Thank you for the rereading.