The darkest hour is often said to be
Before the dawn, but those who know the verges
Of night and day acknowledge they will see
A lightened sky before the sun emerges.

The hour at which the night is most persistent:
That midmost point between sunset and rise,
As any solstice should be equidistant
From equinoctes as each season dies.

And now that I myself am just beyond
The bleakest hour of this, the longest night,
I scan the sky for signs that it has dawned
And hope that looming clouds sun shall ignite.

Obscurity I seize and find a handle
Because I choose to face it with a candle.