
During the month of April 2020, Arlington Poet Laureate Emerita Katherine E. Young is posting poems from the forthcoming anthology Written in Arlington, which showcases the poets and poems of Arlington, Virginia.
Darkest Days…Loneliest Nights
by Aaron R.
In my darkest day, in my loneliest night
On my knees I pray, pray that I’ll be alright
Is this the end of day? Will I ever see light?
Waiting for God to say: My son, things will be alright
Not worried about girls, not worried about fun
Just want a healthy day—so far, I’ve had none
The things I thought that mattered
Like a mirror, they all have shattered
Feel like I’m stuck with bad luck
Thoughts about giving it up
Thoughts about giving in
Feels like I’ve had enough
But I know I can win, if I just stay strong
The light is ahead in the tunnel, if I can just hold on
In my darkest day, in my loneliest night
On my knees I pray, pray that I’ll be alright
Is this the end of day? Will I ever see light?
Waiting for God to say: My son, things will be alright
Not worried about wealth
Just worried about health
Those material wishes can get stuck on a shelf
I’m worried about self
I’m not worried about everyone else
A pain I’ve never felt
Guess it’s the hand I’ve been dealt
But it’s a reason to it—gotta find the silver lining
It’s a season to it—God is doing some designing
Maybe it’s refining: to a cleansed soul
Still in my youth, getting encouragement from the old
That I’ll be strong again
That I’ll be me again
Keep Him on my side, and I’m destined to win
My thoughts went dark, and I couldn’t figure me out
Tears in my eyes as I replied, this is what came out:
In my darkest day, in my loneliest night
On my knees I pray, pray that I’ll be alright
Is this the end of day? Will I ever see light?
Then I felt God say: My son—things will be alright
Aaron R has lived in Arlington since 2009. His poem “Hunger Pains” was the winner of the inaugural World Food Day Poetry Competition sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations. His book Poetically Correct Volume 1 is currently available online. Aaron R also edits, directs, and produces his own poetry videos to bring to a poetic perspective to a myriad of situations that occur in society. http://aaronrpoems.com, https://www.youtube.com/aaronrthepoet.
Written in Arlington / Spoken in Arlington is a print and digital collection of the poets and poems of Arlington, VA, edited by Katherine E. Young and published by Paycock Press (forthcoming, fall 2020). It is supported in part by Arlington County through the Arlington Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. For more information, visit Arlington Arts.
Image: After the Rain mixed media/collage on canvas by Anya Getter (fragment)