Instructions on Not Giving Up

I close my eyes to the darkness
It’s easier that way to not see
The suffocating night
With its lack of light
Where even shadows can’t be
It’s a deafening deaf abyss

Open your eyes; find the light

Sticking my head in the sand
I can neither see nor hear
Nor taste nor smell
Nor live my life
’tis its own hell
Sans peace, sans strife
This existence of living in fear —
I must be willing to stand

Open your eyes; find the light

I rise and lift my head high
I open my eyes to the dark
A slim shaft of light
A glimmer, yet bright
Catches my eye like a spark —
Engagement is how I defy

Open your eyes; find the light

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This is my submission to this week’s W3 challenge.

Kerfe challenged us to write a bop poem titled “Instructions on Not Giving Up.“

A bop poem has three stanzas and a refrain that repeats after each stanza. It tells a story or explores a problem, a bit like a mini-drama.

1. First stanza – 6 lines
   Present a problem or situation.
2. Refrain
   A single line that repeats after each stanza. Think of it as the poem’s chorus.
3. Second stanza – 8 lines
   Expand on or explore the problem in more depth.
4. Refrain
   Repeat the same line.
5. Third stanza – 6 lines
   Show a solution or a failed attempt to solve the problem.
6. Refrain
   Repeat it one last time.

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The other night I listened to an artist describing her process. She said that painting has taught her to look for the light. I need to remember to do that.