It is late and dark

I had loved the sunshine.
When it had trickled down pleasantly
Caressing and glowing,
Enlivening, kindling.
It soon got too arrogant for my liking.
It would go its way unaffected by my love or need.
It would hide in clouds at its will.
Then, when I had given up waiting,
It would emerge suddenly, beaming.
I thought I would pay it back in indifference,
So I looked the other way while it showed off.
I ignored its charm, warmth and refulgence
Its pride,
And dallied with the shadows and shades.
I looked back much later but only to see
The sunshine aging, waning, cooling and descending.
As the Sun slipped down the sky
Dragging its outstretched arms along the Earth
I tried pulling it back by one of its last rays.
But that sleek, slippery, shiny ray escaped
And fell off the horizon;
The day was extinguished
This was the time to embrace the dark
And it was all eager to embrace me.
I encase the dark, now, and the dark encases me
I guard the dark, the dark guards me.
I have come to love the dark, and the dark loves me.
So, must you insist on lighting the lamp?
.

(This poem first appeared in Reading Hour)