The Twisted Prism

The hardest part of this, to be honest,
is capturing midnight in the first place.
The aching wait until the next new moon,
the careful focusing and reflection
into a clean jar lined with ivory
paint to hold in the elusive darkness.

Now, most people will tell you to just pour
it over your prism and catch what falls.
Inefficient, with the spill of midnight,
plus your colors won’t react properly.
Lucky for you, you’re learning from the best;
I’ll let you in on a little secret.

Put your prism in the jar beforehand,
and once you’ve caught your midnight, let it sit
for a few weeks, or better a few years.
You’ll get your usual blood red, bone white
but time rewards the patient colorist:
firefly green, wolf-eye yellow, twilight blue.

Those for whom the night is an acquaintance,
or worse an enemy, will never know
what lies beyond the death, will never see
the colors of life hidden in darkness.
It is up to you to teach them, young lass-
to love cold midnight as they love the dawn.


#NaPoWriMo 21/30