Light Bent by Earth

18 January 2025

Gaze (with proper protection)
upon that boiling vat of hydrogen
on which all things depend.
What mind of God dreamed such a thing?
And yet we dream it?

If you dare, you'll also learn
that eyes can be damaged by staring directly
and must find some other way.

As light bends, refracted by us
and what we are, that glowing star
becomes another Power, holding sway
as men hold sway, until the break of day
when light, most practical light,
becomes our guide, whether bent or otherwise.

We do not care for the truth of the matter,
for truth never brought a child to maturity
nor guided a people to water. But light,
bent by earth, can do both, and much more.