THE POWER OF LIGHT
can turn a white
dog black
a silhouette
on the horizon
sunlight unfolds
every new leaf
pulls a sumac
sprout through
four inches of asphalt
a red light stops a chain
of fast-moving cars
at an intersection
light you spend
all day every day
at the end of the tunnel
nine missing miners
on the windowsill
nine candles
widow’s walk
a lantern for
a late boat
the moon
is your proxy
interrogating
the night sky
you can make
mud shine
any student
of the stars
knows the sky
can be any color
—from Rattle #32, Winter 2009
__________
Ken Letko: “I was walking on some bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean when I noticed a large black dog on the horizon. The off-leash animal was coming toward me on the same trail. When we met, I realized the friendly, smiling creature was nearly pure white because he was no longer walking in his own shadow! I had witnessed ‘the power of light.’ I just had to write about that.”
