Atmosphere and Aether

Atmosphere and Aether
by Russell Kabir
Published in and winner of Windmill 2008, (pg.12)

On a journey to be a smaller man,
passing rows of angled fluorescent lights.
Sitting on benches and time capsules,
etching past benchmarks and passerby.

Never thought I'd cross the same thresholds
letting the leaves of my laurels wither away.
But in my return to my old injured eyes
I stumbled upon something beautiful.

Is it the day or night that oppresses us most?
Even when the sun spills warmth on the small of our backs,
it leaves cold, bold remnants of darkness past
in the shadows that follow behind.

The darkness, though mysterious, gives rise to the bright
of life's street lamps so symmetrical.
Orbs of truth giving direction;
the flickering flints with which we survive.

The foreboding sky, the endless ocean of
atmosphere and aether,
Can never fully smother the ideas of the heavens;
the glistening glare that reflects in our eyes.

The dichotomy of the sun and the moon,
the exchange of light that takes place
illustrates the essence of our existence.
Astral. Aural. Eloquent. Enigmatic.

Oh, what a power it is!
To give talent, the will.
Such a rush it shall always be!
To feel understanding seep into the mind.