Tag Archives: chiaroscuro

Other Colors Besides Black

I often wondered, when I was a goth
(did we have that name back in ’85?)
about the downward spiral of the world;
and contemplated shadows, where I thought

the secrets of the universe were kept.
From chiaroscuro, I firmly believed,
a balance quite long-lost could be restored.
But just how deep I thought, I question now;

it could be I was restless, young and bored
with trying to achieve so-called success,
and plotted revolutions in my mind
that would require no real degree of work.

With who I used to be, I’d like to share
a lesson learned from twenty shadowed years:
there are so many colors besides black;
the only limits are imagined ones.

05 AUG 2009

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Chiaroscuro

Nothing holds a shape without its shadow:
that place at the edge where the lines are rough
and sharp defined shapes blur in a limbo
made of innuendo and the small stuff

that in shades of gray, fills up silent space,
shifting with the slightest movement of light
to redefine the angle of a face,
moving what was once unseen into sight.

Although the bright surface catches the eye,
reflecting color and initial form,
in the absence of light a thing is made.

In the dark essence, lurking there behind
those sunlit curves and corners of the norm,
the universe’s palette is arrayed.

04 FEB 2003

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