in the beginning
     God made darkness

dark was the water
     in the formless void
and the Spirit hovered there
     caressing the darkness
resting in silence
     through eons untold

then a sudden blinding flash
     an explosion of fire
at the sound of the words
     Let there be Light!

in astonishment and joy
     darkness welcomed
her newborn twin
     and they swam in the deep
coiled and twined
     like coffee and cream

till God pulled them apart
     into day and night
and placed the sun
     to govern the day
and moon and stars
     to rule the night

He gave the earth a spin
     and set it whirling
through the heavens
     so that all upon it
would swing in rhythm
     between darkness and light
to enjoy the gifts
     of work and rest
          of embracing and releasing
               of bursting forth
                    and yielding in sleep

so darkness and light
     held hands and twirled
in a dizzying game
     with squeals of delight
upon the world's
     giddy sphere

but the children of men
     preferred light to dark
they fought the night
     with glaring bulbs
that hummed and buzzed
     and blotted out stars
in fear they pierced every shadow
     to prove it held no monsters
they denied it and filled it
     with more noise
          more bustle
               more amusement
                    and distraction

until they collapsed
     in exhaustion and pain
empty and broken and sad

can we not see

that darkness and light
     are not adversaries
nor poles apart
     but God's creatures both
and two sides of 
     the same blessing