Darkness
by
Janelle Martin-Dent
(Age: 23)
copyright 04-16-2003
Age Rating: 13 to 127
What is darkness? Is it evil?
Is it something to fear?
Or is it merely the absence of light?
Different people will give you different answers.
The priest will tell you that darkness is evil,
The small child will tell you that it is something scary,
And the scientist will tell you that it is the absence of light.
But to me,
Only those who have braved the darkness can truly understand it.
I see darkness as an element of nature.
Not good, not evil, but a necessity of life.
Many animals cannot survive in light, so they live in the shadows.
They need the dark.
Their lives depend on it.
But that is only how I see darkness;
That is the answer I found when I braved it.
Perhaps the answer will be different for others.
Only time will tell.
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I really like this! To me, darkness is something eternal just like light. If we didn't have darkness and sad times, and there was only light and happiness, how long would we be happy? Happiness means nothing unless there is sadness to go along with it.
As far as form and grammar, this is a very solid poem! Great choice of words and flow. You told a story without going overboard. I couldn't find any errors, either. Good work on capitalization. :)
This is the second piece of yours I have read and again you hit me as a wonderful writer. You have someting to say and it is whimsical, deep, sensitive.
I am writing a few improvements to the flow.
You wrote "and" the scientist. I am wondering if the word "and" is necessary?
After that you wrote "but to me". I found that disappointing.
I was expecting you to continue your contrast with a sentence that would follow the previous forms and not break that pattern. I'd leave out both those lines (but..only...)and perhaps use them later in some way.
x will tell you...
y will tell you....
z will tell you...
I say that darkness is....
This flow might make for a much more powerful and clearer contrast.
How did you brave the darkness? I was disappointed that you left that revelation out but maybe you want that to remain a mystery. In any case, you've made me curious and I'd like to know what you meant.
Excellent beginning. I hope you keep writing and surprising me with your original thoughts.
This poem is not finished yet. I look forward to seeing your coming versions.
Barbara
This topic has been discussed my many scholars. I've never really given it any consideration, and I seem to give everything consideration. Deep thinking; keep it up. You might enjoy the following:
Does Evil Exist?
A university professor challenged his students with this question, "Did God create everything that exists?" A student bravely replied, "Yes, He did!"
"God created everything?" The professor asked. “Yes Sir," the student replied. The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists and according to the principal that our works define who we are then God is evil."
The student became quiet before such an answer. The professor was quite pleased with himself and boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "Can I ask you a question, professor?" "Of course," replied the professor. The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?" "What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact, Sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Everybody or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 degrees F) is the total absence of heat; all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued. "Professor, does darkness exist?" The professor responded, "Of course it does." The student replied, "Once again you are wrong Sir, darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wavelengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally, the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" Now uncertain, the professor responded, "of course as I have already said. We see it every day. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist Sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not like faith, or love that exist just as does light and heat. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light." The professor sat down.
Awesome poem! I 'mastered' darkness too. It's an adventure, a challange. People depend on their eyes so much that they forget how great their other senses really are.
Write more soon (really soon).
Regina^-^
Welcome !
