dVerse Poets – Prosery – Meet Jane Kenyon
For this month’s prosery Victoria at dVerse has invited us to write our 144 words including the line “If it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant’ from Jane Kenyon’s poem ‘Taking down the tree.”
Photo: hdwallpapersrocks.com
“Night is a time of rigor, but also of mercy. There are truths which one can only see when it’s dark.” Isaac Bashevis Singer
Let It Be Extravagant
As darkness dispels the day the city hums differently and thoughts turn from servitude to pleasure. The cemeteries quieten while night clubs howl, even louder on Fridays for a while. But darkness is only ever fleeting, even beyond the daylight night lights of the city centre, the edges of town are moonlit, starlit, ever so clear. Just so the inner, hidden selves of the working day come out so clearly at night. Under the cover of darkness we stop and play, and inhibitions have no hold or sway. Out of the sun or the office light, our true colours shine brightly, the real is about. Cavorting, carousing, and revelling we go, in darkness it’s safe to be us. And, if it’s darkness we’re having, let it be extravagant, for darkness is sharper than light. What is hidden in light is so clear at night.
©Paul Vincent Cannon
Paul, pvcann.com
parallax 
Well done.
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Thank you Ken, much appreciated indeed.
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Wonderful take on this prompt, Paul.
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Many thanks LuAnne 🙂
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This is stunning descriptive writing and a great use of the prompt. I’d like to see it become a longer story, without the 144 word limit. You have a gift for writing prose.
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I love your ending sentence.
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Thank you so much for that.
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I loved it as well!
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Thank you Liz 🙂
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Loved this. So captures the feeling of a city turning to night. And how darkness often shows us all those things people hide under the light of day.
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Yes, great summary, thank you for sharing that.
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This makes me want to go out and enjoy the city at night… but I’ve grown addicted to daylight… love it.
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Thank you for that Bjorn, glad you enjoyed it.
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I love how you’ve made darkness into an extravagance, drawing appreciation to darkness instead of dread.
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Thank you so much Astrid
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The same to me, Paul! The ending sequence is great. Michael
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Thank you for your encouraging words Michael.
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Always a great pleasure to me, Paul! Thank you for posting so wonderful poems. Best wishes, Michael
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🙂
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Well done! Love your last line… such an opposite of what we usually say. The darkness brings out who we really are… something to think about!
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Yes, Jung talked about how we are so unaware of who we really are, especially in our shadow, thank you for sharing that Dwight.
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I wonder if you might use the same prompt to write about night in the country. Or perhaps night in the country isn’t extravagant at all.
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O it sure is Liz, it really is, I must give that a go, thank you.
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I’ll look forward to reading what you come up with!
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🙂
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Thought provoking
>
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Glad that had that affect.
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VERY NICE !!!
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Many thanks Ed
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