Illuminations

We toss our hopes through
the surface of the lagoon,
reflections of earth exploding outward,
continents circling, sailing for lessons unknown.
If it's within our constitutions
to ride these ripples, to continue
on this journey of a world that races
to keep up with itself, we need to
meet our shadows at the start
and let them know that we will take the lead.
Too often comfort silences us in
the cool canvas, and we fall asleep,
convinced of our own adequacy.
There are no accidents in the design,
only in the execution.
We all have homes in this spectrum,
and so we were meant to be seen.
To lose one shade makes us all lose
the experience of a world. We reveal
our hues, unique but never alone.
If the world would be embarassed of us,
she would make us translucent. Remember
that you are made of her, and that it
has a righteous pride in all its children.
Take comfort in the temporary bloom
of fireworks, the flash of a photograph,
the immortal report of a still life.
It is no coincidence that the moon is there
to carry the weight for the sun when it
flies home to nest.
It is no coincidence that when
the gift of fire chased away the dark
is considered the moment we rose above
the ranks of random animals, and deemed
stewards of this planet. It is no coincidence
that we can be seen.

The illuminations of our every second,
from the barely adequate aura of a nightlight
to the sudden summoning of a starburst,
are all in constant celebration of you.
So do not mistake the ripples of your
reflections as erasings, but notice
how they travel, and stop short of the shore,
motionless, waiting in line,
as if to say, "What are you waiting for?
Lead us."