In darkness, lust has sight of just one eye;
so, little more than nothing does he see.
Possessed of darkness lust and love both vie
for right to don the cloak of dignity.
Lust (that nightingale) clad in midnight’s gown,
silhouettes as naked, cavorts as stark;
fashioned to force from love a prudish frown.
Lust casts his sullied shadow at love’s lark;
in response, love is dressed in dim-lit garb.
Love seeks the soft refuge of a candle.
Love in night’s attire is sensual; suave.
Love is demure, shows no taste for scandal.
. As night takes possession of darkened rooms,
. love’s noble battle over lust resumes.

© Tim Grace, 26 June 2011

To the reader: Light and dark emotions are responsive to context; invited or avoided. Light emotions take pleasure from the fresh disclosure of a pure moment. On the other hand, dark emotions shun exposure to an open scene; they much prefer the secrecy of shadows. Somewhere in the soft subdued lighting of a comfortable space love and lust agree to cohabit; and in that ambiance, find sweet embrace.

To the poet: As you read Shakespeare’s sonnets you’ll often come across two sonnets that sit side-by-side as pairs. Sometimes, they’ll tell two parts of the same story; other-times, they’ll repeat the same story from a different angle. The pairing is as much convenient as it is deliberate. As ‘Poem A’ develops ‘Poem B’ evolves as a counter-balance. The discarded lines become adversaries; too demanding to ignore.

possessed of darkness