Beside Myself

I'm standing beside myself

and staring

up a long, cold concrete stair,

walking beside myself,

doubly visioned,

doubly

unaware --

me

momentarily divided in two

by the tilt of the earth

by the pull of the moon.

My other self,

my darker self,

the self I like to hide

for a moment illumines,

its unbearable brightness

filling my mind

lighting the truths 

about me

about life.

These are

the truths that I hide

because they're so large,

no one could bear

to stare

at them daily.

But when I'm beside myself,

when I'm split in two,

I see what lies hidden,

and I see

what hides it, too,

unbearably.

You too.

( williams )

Have no fears.

Even in this weight of stark

self division, we are turning
back towards coherence;

 even as we are moving

into the darker days,

each imperceptibly longer,

the sun is moving too,

planning its return --

Prepare yourself

for that time, when

we can be whole, and gaze
at the beauty of earth again, 

and revel

in the gifts that it gives.

This solstice,

this Christmas,

give the gifts of a child -

of peace and love,

and wide-eyed honesty, so

the next time your self divides

you are happy

with what you see.