Against the looming darkness...

When sleep will not come, the night wraps around me cloak-like and dark. On nights such as these, I sometimes feel as though the mansion of my heart is reduced to a tumble down shack hidden in the shadows. The hinges are rusted, the doors hung sideways, and the windows are covered in tattered curtains that have seen better days. It is there that the specter of loneliness visits me; draping itself seductively across my lap, inviting me to partake of its cold kisses and faithless promises.

It is then that I rally against the looming darkness. I have no interest in ghostly seduction. I don't drink from empty cups. There are lightning bugs in my soul that keep the murky chill out, and remind me that I am never alone as long as I am capable of love. And I am always capable of love.

I fill the castle of my spirit with thankfulness and laughter. The fortress of my heart is lit by the twin lights of friendship and gratitude. I find, again, that the way to happiness and contentment is often down a curiously muddled path, but grace is found in odd places and I believe in myself.

© Tanya Anguita