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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)