The darkness

Just now, the darkness was a cave.
Outside, up the hill
A light shone from out a window,
Flying fast like light does.
Then it got cozy in the madronas
And paused by the grass,
Deciding it was too tired to go on.

The darkness was a cave behind me.
A dog in the distance barked a litany,
More like an announcement,
Declaring the depth of this cavernous dark
Echoing through the trees
Off the hill
In my skull.

That dog made me feel the aloneness.
The world slept while it barked
And I heard it
But didn’t call back.
I knew the darkness would swallow my voice
Just like it was eating that light.

I question why I must look in order to see.
I think sometimes I learn best
Ambling around in the dark
Relying on instinct.