solstice

solstice

it is the longest of nights
and there is comfort in
this blanket of black.

it reminds me that we were all once
beholden to it.

and so
i honor this darkness.

when i paint
i start with a black canvas.

when i write
i start with a black page.

i bring in one pinpoint of light at a time
and as your eyes adjust to one,
i bring in another.

soon there’s cohesion in
the daubs of illumination
on canvas, on page, and
if you step back—if you see the whole
of what I raise from my depths—
you’ll feel the warmth of the sun
as it brings your skin
to life with its

promise of dawn.
but first, always—

i honor the dark.

~j.a. carter-winward

work in progress: poems and dialogues
(Coming Soon)