LITR 3731: Creative Writing
Student Poetry Submission 2005

 Daniel Davis

Storm the Darkness to the Dawn       

A day is ending, the sun steals my sight

So I run west, fearless of the blinding dark of night

Weary, lost, broken, I stagger and I fail

Night has overtaken me. Shadows close their veil.

Wiping tears, dressing wounds, never dried, never healed,

For all I’ve done is chase the dusk, freezing time, too hurt to feel

Barren darkness invites my stay but the stars shift in the sky

This night spent running toward a faded dream leaves an empty question. Why?

I had never asked.

Ahead, a dream, a hope behind

Turn, storm the darkness, break the dawn

This new day’s sunlight is sweeter than the last,

Each dream realized yesterday, today has far surpassed

But ever present in the passing time is a fading yesterday

What hope is the warmth of a sun, fleeting, never prone to stay?

Hope answered.

The Son will rise after the last night has died

And warmth will heal our hearts

That day’s endless light will no longer hide.

It forever demands that darkness depart.

The sun sets on the humble, the weak and the strong,

Do not chase the setting sun, but Storm the darkness to that dawn

Poetry Revision:

This poem was originally written on an airplane headed to Europe from Houston.  We left at about dusk and took off into the spreading darkness.  As I sat in my seat watching the monitor telling me how many miles we had gone, what time it was and showing me a small world map that marked our progress I noticed that the map also marked where the sun was rising at that particular time.  After a while it clicked that it had only been dark for about 5 hours before our winged chariot broke into the sunlight.  So I thought this was a nice thought, that if you run fast enough through the darkness you can make it out on the other side sooner. 

The reason this may have struck a chord with me would have to do with an ex-girlfriend who I had been hanging on to for way too long.  This image helped me just bite the bullet and let her go. Without a doubt,  the “new days sunlight was much sweeter than the last.” 
            The poem was originally much less structured than this edition and has seen several revisions since its inception. This is its original state as it is found in my journal as unreadable chicken scratch.

Translated into English :

Storm the Darkness to the Dawn

A day has ended that I hoped would never cease

The sun strips its gold as shadows fade in from the east

So I run west to the day that slowly fades

Chasing with all my might those warm elusive rays

Weary, lost, I stumble and I fail

That night that I was running from crept over and thus prevailed

Wiping tears and dressing wounds, never dried and never healed

For all I did head further west, chasing the dusk like the hamster’s wheel.

I never gain, but the night never wanes

So tired I weep stopping only to mourn my defeat

But what I run to is what I’m running from

So I turn and storm the darkness to the dawn

This new days sunlight is sweeter than the last

Every dream realized yesterday, today has far surpassed

And so this day will end as well

The sun sets on the kings and the pawns

But do not chase the setting sun,

Storm the darkness to the dawn

            As time passed I returned to the work and was bothered by the unanswered frustration of the days that will always end. I added among other slight changes a final stanza that shared the hope we can find in Christ that there will be an eternal sunrise.

It became the following version.

Storm the Darkness to the Dawn           (written 9-16-02)

                                                            (revised 11-21-02)

A day has ended that I hoped would never cease

The sun strips its gold as shadows fade in from the east

So I run west to the day that slowly fades

Chasing with all my might those warm elusive rays

Weary, lost, I stumble and I fail

That night that I was running from crept over and thus prevailed

Wiping tears and dressing wounds, never dried and never healed

For all I did head further west, chasing the dusk like the hamster’s wheel.

I never gain, but the night never wanes

So tired I weep stopping only to mourn my defeat

But what I run to is what I’m running from

So I turn and storm the darkness to the dawn

This new days sunlight is sweeter than the last

Every dream realized yesterday, today has far surpassed

And so this day will end as well

The sun sets on the kings and the pawns

But do not chase the setting sun,

Storm the darkness to the dawn

(Addition 11-15-2003)

But the son will rise bringing a change of tide

And his warmth will heal our hearts

The love in his eyes and the hole in his side

Will forever demand that darkness depart

            As the time came to turn this poem in for a class, I had been through most all of my literature requirements and had become a bit more perceptive of cliché versus good poetry. I changed some of the language to make the religious turn a bit less turbulent.  I wanted it to be a Christian poem without being too explicit.  Subtlety would be my answer.  I think this still needs work, or maybe it just needs to be left alone to pursue a new work, but I find comfort in its message if not in its style.  I suppose that in itself makes it worth having written for me.  It is up to you all to let me know if it was worth writing for you.