Night Into Day Poem by Daniel Brick

for the 100th Anniversary
of Finnish Independence 1917-2017

Tell me those stories that cling
to your mind as vines
of blossoms and nettles cling
an old house hiding terrible
secrets. Tell me those stories
again so I stay awake, alert and
prepared for the worst. This night
is crucial for all of us. It has
never been as easy as we imagined it.
There will be a swollen river to ford
ahead; a mountain pass will be blocked
by a family of trolls; the region
you are crossing was ripped
from your map book. The radio promised
you updates but the only sound
you hear is 1980s Rock Music. So repeat
the story of the pale-faced fortune-teller
and the orphan girl with golden tresses and
sad eyes that should shine, or the tale of
the last defenders of Lord Paavo's castle, or
the final account of the Sampo in the KALEVALA.
And finally, as the next day's sun ignites
the eastern sky with red fire and dispels
yesterday's dark skies and portents, give me
one story of love and hope, but do not tell me
if it's true or false, and I will carry it
deep in my heart all the way home to share it
with all of our family assembled by the hearth fire,
and it will be a holy prospect for seasons to come.