O at the Edges

Musings on poetry, language, perception, numbers, food, and anything else that slips through the cracks.

Light and Dark and Light Again (crawlspace)

Posted on February 1, 2015 by robert okaji

Light and Dark and Light Again (crawlspace)

Not hopeless, but without hope. If I could
capture my shadow, would I
imprison it in a cell of light

or release it to roam free among the dense cedars,
knowing always that I might betray myself again?
And other repetitions. Doorways beyond other

doorways leading to more openings, like
mouths releasing words in the random
silence, awaiting their return.

What lives under the house but another
darkness, another tale of contrast

and spent energies? Answers move swiftly
from point to point, refusing to be
pinned down. The questions remain.

44 thoughts on “Light and Dark and Light Again (crawlspace)”

Ellar Wise on February 1, 2015 at 10:31 am said:

What lives under the house but another
darkness, another tale of contrast
and spent energies?
Great question, and great answer.
Beautifully written.

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- robert okaji on February 1, 2015 at 11:03 am said:
  
  Thank you. To me, the questioning always matters.
  
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Lisa on February 1, 2015 at 10:43 am said:

Beautiful. As always. 🙂

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- robert okaji on February 1, 2015 at 11:04 am said:
  
  Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate your comments!
  
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Wisdom's Quill on February 1, 2015 at 11:10 am said:

Phenomenal, Robert!!!!
BE

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- robert okaji on February 1, 2015 at 11:15 am said:
  
  Thank you, Brian!
  
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Yoshiko on February 1, 2015 at 11:12 am said:

Cute raccoon 🙂

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- robert okaji on February 1, 2015 at 11:15 am said:
  
  They’re cute, at least from a distance…
  
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Ron on February 1, 2015 at 3:06 pm said:

If I could write just O-N-E poem this good, I would gladly surrender my “International Haiku Union” card. Well, I would! (Don’t Google it…it doesn’t exist!) 🙂 Superb!

Ron

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- robert okaji on February 1, 2015 at 3:40 pm said:
  
  Ron, you’re too much! But I’ll see your International Haiku Union card and raise with a County Road 245 Poet’s Association certificate…
  
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iconoclastgrey on February 1, 2015 at 4:36 pm said:

Another tale of contrast… Great line. Love it.

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- robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 10:43 am said:
  
  Thank you. Tale, tail – they both contrast.
  
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tuna_needscats on February 1, 2015 at 9:54 pm said:

“What lives under the house but another
darkness, another tale of contrast” my favourite line ❤

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- robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 10:43 am said:
  
  I’m so pleased to hear that. Thank you.
  
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  - tuna_needscats on February 2, 2015 at 5:02 pm said:
    
    🙂
    
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Sherrie de Valeria on February 2, 2015 at 6:01 am said:

And if only you can let the light invade the darkness, there will be what? Is there another mysteries down there? Some other dark shadows as well?

Awesome as always! 🙂

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- robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 10:44 am said:
  
  There are always more mysteries!
  
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Rob McShane on February 2, 2015 at 8:27 am said:

Aw….soooo good! Thank you! Question upon question, doorway to doorway, the ceaseless, moving, drift! Catch your shadow in sunlight and all may be revealed between the contrast!! 🙂

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- robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 10:45 am said:
  
  Thanks, Rob. All may be revealed (most mostly isn’t). 🙂
  
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Jilanne Hoffmann on February 2, 2015 at 1:18 pm said:

This one will haunt me.

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- robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 1:48 pm said:
  
  But I hope in a non-nightmarish manner. 🙂
  
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  - Jilanne Hoffmann on February 2, 2015 at 1:56 pm said:
    
    I had a dream this past weekend. No matter how hard I tried, no matter the type of tool or material I used, I could not write letters that would remain on the page. They flew away, became invisible, dissolved, submerged. Each new attempt failed. Was the failure in me or in my materials? That was a nightmare. Your poem provokes thought, haunting in a non-nightmare.
    
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  - robert okaji on February 2, 2015 at 4:37 pm said:
    
    Yours was indeed a nightmare!
    
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Paula Light on February 2, 2015 at 8:44 pm said:

Very interesting imagery.

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:43 am said:
  
  Thank you. Not that anyone could tell, but the poem is centered on a rural property in the Texas Hill Country.
  
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drhashtagbaby on February 2, 2015 at 9:52 pm said:

The Coon! No one duz it like a coon.

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:43 am said:
  
  They are certainly interesting creatures.
  
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Victoria on February 2, 2015 at 9:56 pm said:

Such a beautiful poem, but the photo at the end may me smile. The contrast of light and dark and different worlds, and there is the contrast again on his little bandit mask against his white cheeks. Both gorgeous and hilarious.

Thank you for visiting my site, and for sharing your work with me.

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:46 am said:
  
  Yes, and the contrast of what something might be and what it actually is or isn’t! I’m pleased to have found your site.
  
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johnnycrabcakes on February 3, 2015 at 11:10 am said:

Wonderfully evocative. As a friend recently quipped, “no good answer goes un-questioned.”
To my mind, one tell-tale of a good poem is that it asks more questions than it answers.
This one asks the best questions.

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:35 pm said:
  
  I possess very few answers. But questions, well, that’s another story. 🙂
  
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Clare on February 3, 2015 at 5:39 pm said:

Oh wow, the image painted in my head is hauntingly beautiful. Thank you.

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:35 pm said:
  
  I’m so pleased this resonated with you. Thank you.
  
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Felicia on February 3, 2015 at 6:11 pm said:

Wow. I love this 🙂

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- robert okaji on February 3, 2015 at 6:36 pm said:
  
  Thank you, Felicia.
  
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lunareport on February 4, 2015 at 6:52 am said:

‘Not hopeless, but without hope.’… don’t know if you mean what I understand… if so, that’s gr8!!!

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- robert okaji on February 4, 2015 at 7:33 am said:
  
  Another shade, another contrast…
  
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tolbert on February 4, 2015 at 5:58 pm said:

“Answers move swiftly
from point to point, refusing to be
pinned down”

So many thought-provoking expressions in your poetry! Excellent writing!

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robert okaji on February 4, 2015 at 6:12 pm said:

I appreciate your comments. Thanks very much!

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krszbc on February 10, 2015 at 9:16 am said:

I love it.

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- robert okaji on February 10, 2015 at 5:24 pm said:
  
  Thank you.
  
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charlypriest on February 13, 2015 at 10:07 am said:

Great poem as always Robert. Also thanks for putting in the blog roll “how a poem happens” quite interesting how this ex soldier explains his writing process. Had to save it to the computer to later read it with more time.

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- robert okaji on February 17, 2015 at 11:16 am said:
  
  Thanks, Charly. “How a Poem Happens” is one of my favorite sites.
  
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