In These Few Hours of Light

Why not think about last night
And all the nights before it,
Rather than about tonight
With no more mornings past it?

We don’t mean your own last night
Or any you remember.
We mean all the nights you weren’t
Before you knit together.

You see the difference, don’t you?
About the past when you weren’t,
You know enough to picture
Yourself as if you were there,

But about the nights ahead,
The future when you won’t be,
You’ve got less information,
And fear more since you can’t see.

So you give yourself advice
About savoring the light
And not dwelling on the night
Although you came from night.