Half Light Poem by Anne Havell

Can’t see, can’t read, can’t work
Its half-light!

Who would choose to live in a half-lit world
Full of shadows, shade, silhouettes
A world where life-giving rays can not
Reach out, warm and embrace.
Forever checked by an
Invasive,
Overpowering
Blanket of darkness.

Does half-light explain
Half-hearted peace overtures
Between families, friends, nations:
Half-hearted attempts at
Reconciling disputes
Healing quarrels
Dissolving hatreds?

Yet who would not choose to live in half-light?
It is safe
Affords comfort
Provides shade
From the fiery gaze of a Sun that
Highlights every
Speck of dust
Finger-prints on the window
Shadows on the soul.

Do I want full-light
My weaknesses inspected
Wrongs revealed?

I am not ready.
I stay in the half-light
Bind my time
Until a brighter, more intense light
Energizes my mind
Restores my being
Renews my resolve