those bright, falling lights

are made of blues and golds and

the time we have shared.

.

we met amongst these

colours. in masses of dull

people — i found you.

.

rather, you found me.

you found that i existed

in many shades of joy.

.

and i like to think

that you exist in shades of

permanence, of love.

.

you point the moon out

to me, one night, and promise

that both you and it

.

will remain. remain

bright and soft and forever

a part of my life.

.

and though, around us,

people murmur of dark skies

moving further in,

.

you distract me with

tales woven in gold and nights

filled with deep, deep blues.

.

and then

.

the lights in the skies

are different than normal.

they move towards us.

.

and now

.

your hands, which are blue

and cold and pulling on mine

are shaking in time.

.

in time with the earth,

trembling as the lights rain down

— black merging to red.

.

night merging to fire.

and there is gold on your cheeks

and in your dark hair.

.

the colours we so

loved are different, now, too. a

gold that was once warm

.

and proud is now crushed

beneath our feet. the blues we

shared are bleeding out

.

i look up, at one

point. and i cannot see the

moon. i pray, for the

.

first time in many

months. that you, somehow, will be

stronger than the moon.

.

i wish our time was

filled with murmurs and glances

but, now, it is not.

.

our time is made of

blues and golds and running from

those bright, falling lights.

---

The above piece is an ekphrastic poem — a poem based upon a work of art. “of lights that may fall” is based upon Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and follows lovers during the era of World War II. I interpreted the large yellow circles in Van Gogh’s painting to represent the blitzes and bomb droppings that would occur during this time — and the shifting ways the young coupled viewed both the lights above them, as well as the prominent colours of gold and blue. This poem represents their journey, their love, and their life in such a harrowing environment.

---

claire b.