Compline

By Christine Valters Paintner

Stars silver
in the violet darkness,
all the midnight wanderers
—cat and wolf, owl and bat—
roam night’s trails
ears attuned to another voice.

Step through the doorway
into silence and dream time,
shake off the harsh light of illumination
where the tyranny of answers slips away.
Descend willingly into hush
where you will meet your shadows,
but also your long-hidden
luminous face.

“Compline” from Dreaming of Stones: Poems by Christine Valters Paintner. Copyright © 2019 by Christine Valters Paintner. Used by permission of Paraclete Press. www.paracletepress.com