Light Sources

By Westley Penland- Previously published in his chapbook “Confirmation of Life” (Alien Buddha Press, 2024)

O, Captain, my Captain

We start our lives in darkness

Wombs of our mothers

Floating in our space

Astronauts discovering a new world.

For some, that fluid sac 

is the safest place

We will be and we’re not even human yet.

Our fearful trip is done.

We are born into a bright light

Cut out or pushed

We are forced to this earth

Our mothers give birth

And we see life in light for the first time

And we scream after being in darkness 

Our lungs choke on the first breaths we take

O captain! my captain! 

We all grow up, chasing the light

Light hearted, light on our feets,

Light of day, light work loads.

Sun rises, night lights, stars shining bright. 

Some are happy chasing that light

But I am a poet.

I create light with sparks in the dark.

Rise up and hear the bell

I’ve spent most of my life

Being a light source

Helping my fellow man stay on course

I am the optimist when I feel pessimistic

I am the humor when I feel pain

I am the head lamp when my thoughts cave in

I am the song when my lungs are choking

I am the pulley when I want to collapse

My Captain does not answer.

No one can do this trip alone

Even poets need other light sources

We need to hear the snaps in the dark

So that spark becomes a flame

And our poems catch fire and we ignite

So the darkest of caves become light

Our nights become bright

Knowing we will be alright

That I will be alright.

Inspiration and use “O, Captain, My Captain” By Walt Whitman.