The Dark Night Of The Soul Poem by Kathy Greethurst

For St Teresa of Calcutta

Each day, the sun rises and wakes me up,
As it brings in the light.
Each night, darkness arrives when the sun sets,
And disappears over the horizon.

The moon and stars sparkle in the night sky.
Waves continuously crash against beaches.
Sunshine, air, water, and food
give life to living beings.

And all the while, the seasons change -
from Spring to Summer, Summer to Autumn,
Autumn to Winter and back to Spring.
On and on, endlessly, as the clocks tick.

***

In my mind, the darkness overpowers the light -
Bringing me shame and torment,
unwanted noise and disturbance,
And monster thoughts that I fear.

In the darkness, I am alone -
Abandoned and rejected,
By those who promised to walk by my side,
and undertook to keep me safe.

And, each day, as I force endless smiles,
I fulfil the role that I have been given,
I show everyone what a ‘good' person I am,
And I try to persuade myself that I am loved.

***

I pray that I can shut out the darkness,
Rid myself of my pain and torment,
And banish the monster thoughts,
That gnaw at my soul.

I pray that the light can replace the darkness -
That I will feel the presence and love of God,
And find my true connection with all that there is,
So that I can give my glorious self to the world.

Until that happens, I will celebrate the darkness -
For I have heard that it's in the darkest darkness
That it's possible to glimpse the brightest light
And take a first step towards a wild and precious life -

in the light of love and peace.