The Still Point at Midwinter

This poem is from my second book of poetry. I called it Bridge to the Otherworld. The verses in this collection are nearly all about thresholds, points of transition, finding yourself in the thin places where day & night, light & dark, have a way of meeting on equal terms—inviting a choice.

Will you step across the veil into the ephemeral world that beckons your soul to its deepest authenticity? Or will you hold back in the concrete world you believe is real, though it offers little soul satisfaction?

No time of year offers more opportunity for self-reflection than the blessed hours of Winter Solstice. Come, step into the still point and find a deeper mystery in the dance that happens only at the nexus.

The Still Point

Deep in Midwinter’s heart

a stillness waits

to bless the rays of light

that glisten through the darkness,

not so much as to dispel

but as to greet in equal verity.

For consorts are they—Night and Day

separated by the world’s opinion,

though not their own.

Indeed, they dance

nine thousand hours in a year;

and none more grandly than today

when Night puts off her ebony cloak,

relinquishing her moonlit reign

unto her mate, the Day,

who bows to her interior light

as he ascends the throne

that will be his till summer.

For Dark and Light both know their place

and graciously step back

in the fullness of their power

to honor the other

who seamlessly flows in—

a natural exchange.

With silent care Night nurtures Day

until his power warms and grows

and Day loves Night for her sage advice

that earthly ears so seldom hear.

In the still point of Solstice

they know each other’s worth

and do their part

to see the other blessedly fulfilled.

from Bridge to the Otherworld

Copyright (c) Flying Crane Press, All rights reserved.

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