Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The Darkroom BY SUSAN HARRIS


In the darkroom the negative takes form, losing identity as a picture emerges. This aptly named negative belongs to the darkness and can only be developed there. It’s a shifting paradigm to conjure the dark as anything but an evil swirling abyss, empty and threatening. Where God is absent.


Yet a shift there must be that dark gives birth to life. In the inky womb the baby sleeps and is perfected. In the stygian underground, seeds laced in black soil defy gravity to shoot up green. The clefts of rocks are dark; He hides us and we are safe.

The old hymn sings, “When Jacob met the Lord upon that lonely night…” 

A dark night for the repentant thief.  

The chorus trills, “I want, I WANT, that kind of blessing… (caps added). 

Really? In the ebony night? When the markets turn and the favour runs low and the words we strive for hover in sight but dance frustratingly beyond reach? And that shame - as we fight until morning light breaks when dawn shows that God was, and is, closest to us in the dark! 

The blessing in and of the dark is only found in the darkroom. The place where the negative surrenders.


SUSAN HARRIS hosts 1-Minute Prayer on Facebook. She is the author of six books and her work has appeared in several other publications and blogs. 

http://susanharris.ca

http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Harris/e/B007XMP4QS/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/1-Minute-Prayer/368981386624849

4 comments:

David Kitz said...

Thanks for shining your poetic light into the darkness.

Susan Harris said...

Is it poetic? What a beautiful observation, David. Thank you so much.

Peter Black said...

I smile Susan, for, like David, I also recognized the poetic element in your piece. The darkroom's an interesting analogy. Thanks for presenting this deep and significant truth. ~~+~~

fudge4ever said...

Yes it's poetic! I agree. Well said, Susan!
Pam Mytroen

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