A narrow cone of light

My headlamp carves a narrow cone of light
through the velvet darkness of the forest’s night,
my path is broad and bright, but still, I’m lost,
around me, leafless branches wait for frost,
the world is veiled in shameless draperies
when my only guide is daylight memories.
Sometimes from the depth a sudden snap
a fox or deer, or maybe for my mind a trap.
had there been moonlight maybe wind or rain
could have saved myself from me, but pain
of guesswork made my trust my nightmares more
than sunshine wisdom gathered, just like the sore
of rumors of conspiracies that trump our rights
we only see the parts of life we flood in light.

Today I host MTB at dVerse, The prompt was published 12 hours early, but I hope that gives you plenty of time to write a conceit. Not sure if my metaphor worked, but to me it was clear. We sometimes have to search the darkness to find our ways.

November 4, 2021

23 responses to “A narrow cone of light”

This is beautiful!!!

The metaphor is loud and clear, here, Björn, and there are echoes of Emily Dickinson in the style, which I really like. We do benight ourselves with our own refusal to look within, I think.

Nicely done: we only see the parts of life we flood in light.

such a powerful metaphor for our common quandaries … don’t engage with those nightmares!

Masterful, Björn. I’ve come to expect nothing less.

This is absolutely stellar writing, Bjorn! 😀 I especially resonate with; “leafless branches wait for frost, the world is veiled in shameless draperies when my only guide is daylight memories.” 💝💝

A special kind of tunnel vision at work here.

Oh, excellent metaphor…

Love the rhyming sonnet Bjorn. I would be scared to be lost in the velvet darkness of the forest’s night. The ending line sums this up, tying it back to the narrow cone of light.

A sharply-worked conceit that images the persona’s painfully circumscribed awareness that leads as much to despair as the hope/wisdom that lightened past days. What a privilege to read, Bjorn. So beautifully wrought.

“we ony see the parts of life we flood with light” Love that, Bjorn. The trip through the dark was gripping!

Oh those familiar forests seem so different in the dark. And the headlamp carving into the dark like some turnip or pumpkin, wow.

A beautiful comparison Bjorn. Reminds me of the path less taken sometimes leads us through the darkness following only as far as the headiight shines.. Well done.

A great conceit! Especially love ‘just like the sore
of rumors of conspiracies that trump our rights
we only see the parts of life we flood in light.’

The pain of guesswork — now you are in darkness with only a narrow cone of light — Things do look differently under sunlight. And so in your current predicament, trusting the nightmare is justifiable and practicable. Is that how we approach rumors brought out into the sunlight too? Sunlight does give things a different aura than when seen in darkness. How much of that is real? Lovely. Thank you.

Well! Was enjoying the step by step dénouement, the build up, the nature too, and the clever wordplay………but…….what…a….finish…like the last note of a beautiful song still ringing in the ears….brilliant end.

“we only see the parts of life we flood in light”…that is the stark truth. Melancholic and beautiful.

Velvet night, flood of light, shameless drapes, mind a trap … Your poem is a mind bender.

This peals like a bell, Bjorn–very sonorous rhyme, which adds to the weight of your metaphor of light fighting the current/perpetual settling in of (a very frightening) darkness. The last lines illuminate, but the pall is not completely lifted, and that is just the simple truth of where we are. Thanks for this, and for the excellent prompt.