Introduction to the Poem: I wrote "Coming into Darkness" on the bus coming back to Wilmington, NC, less than a week after leaving, to be there for two reasons. One was to be there for my friend Ryan's book release. The other was to be there for my friend Jean who lost his mother. I had not known his mother so I was there for Jean. Ironically, I wasn't able to make the funeral of my dear friend Thomas... not because it was less important. I should have been there. I just didn't take the news very well and tried to numb my sorrows in alcohol.
Anyway, it was an October day and somewhat gloomy on the bus ride. I remember toward the end, after the funeral service ended, talking to Jean. I was choking back tears and yet Jean seemed to be handing things, at the moment, quite well. I remember him telling me how much he appreciated that I made it back to Wilmington for him. Perhaps I felt something of the sorrow that he had felt earlier. However, I felt moved by the importance of this friendship. It struck me like an epiphany.
Coming Into Darkness
I'm coming into darkness
this mid-October afternoon.
I come for the funeral of my friend's mother.
The sun sets earlier
each week, each day.
The clouds have been gathering
and increasing this afternoon
as if shrouding the day
in death.
This IS the season of Death.
But we must go on
just as this bus rolls onward
and the funeral ritual approaches
and we wait for a priest
to give all this meaning,
through blessed rituals,
and if we are lucky,
to give us hope
or at least
comfort.
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What Matters Most: Poems About Love, Loss, & Trauma
PoetryThis is a collection of poems inspired by love, loss of love, and other events that began in late July of 2000. This is my autobiography in poetry form. It's not just about love but also about the loss of those I have loved. I had fallen totally and...
