May 1983

Shelter Valley at Night

White reflections against a black abyss,

A foreboding mass that defies its name,

Joined by triple lines of silver thread

Form a barrier from this dark hole

So the lights may go safely on their way.

White to red on that side,

Red to white on this,

Fading from before and behind,

Jewels on the thread

That spans the crack

Where once the sun shone bright

That now resides in dreams.

Quotes from this poem appeared in the August 27, 2003 editorial

of “The Independent,” an independent newspaper from Brighton,