I love David Whyte’s work. Check him out if you haven’t come across him already.

A couple months ago he informed us that he’d written another poem, “Sweet Darkness”, and collaborated with a woodcut print artist to create this beautiful edition. I ordered one and got it professionally mounted and framed for Lisa for Valentine’s Day.

Here’s the poem:

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone,
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your home
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone
that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

February for us is the longest, darkest, and most depressing month. This one’s no different. We find it difficult to navigate these dark days because they affect us so deeply. We have to remain confident that we are essentially okay, and that we just need to make it through this night season to the other side. As always, we are assured we’ll do it and we’ll be fine. Only because we’ve done it so many times before.

The spiritual parallels are unmistakable. In fact, they are one. The literal darkness and the spiritual, emotional, and relational one, have a symbiotic relationship.

Falling in love with this poem and the woodcut print meant a lot to me and Lisa. Art is such a powerful means of communication for me. It encourages me to be artful in all that I think and do.

And… we use this time to give up on all other worlds except the one to which we belong.

I hope this helps you today.

Much love,

David