Dance in the Dark: ‘The Night Is Darkening Round Me’ by Emily Brontë
Many people say the moment they first confronted absolute darkness was in a cave, when the guide briefly turned out the lights on a tour. My own darkest moment occurred about 45 minutes from my house, doing an interview at Putman Mountain Observatory for an article about the preservation of night skies. In near-total darkness, except for the Milky Way, I felt small and a little scared. I also wanted to sit out on the front porch step and watch the dark sky until dawn’s early light.
The night has been steadily darkening ’round us since the summer solstice. But on the first Sunday in November most of the United States accelerates the night with the time change, when we Fall Back. I think this is the loveliest time of the year, and not only because the evening hours are already filled with tiny twinkling holiday lights. But also because I love the darkness of my early morning walks. I wonder if Emily Brontë loved those hours too.
Read the poem and the rest of the post at Tweetspeak Poetry
