Darkness startled me awake. A bleary moon glowed, sullen. The stars were blotted out with clouds. Not wanting to disturb the silence, I moved slowly down the stairs and went to the kitchen. Unmindfully, I flipped the light switch. Nothing. The darkness was thick. The quiet, unsettling. Bits of snow were blowing against the east door.
Abruptly, the lights blazed on. The refrigerator hummed into action. The kitchen stove light flashed “PF”, advising that there had been an interruption in the usual. Blinking, I recalled the voice of a friend reciting the poem “Acquainted with the Night”.
Acquainted with the Night
By Robert Frost
“I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in the rain—and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.
I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.
I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away and interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street
But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky
Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.”
Robert Frost, “Acquainted with the Night” from The Poetry of Robert Frost, Lathem. Copyright 1923, 1928, copyright 1969 by Henry Holt & Company, LLC.
Reflect
What do you make of the meaning of this poem? I’m still thinking about it.
When the lights came on in the kitchen, relief was immediate. The bleary moon had seemed bright in the dark night until such time. It was dulled by the light inside.
Each of us has been acquainted with the night.
Each of us is a light in the world. Encouragers. Helpers. Friends. Smilers. Workers.
Each brings a gift to be shared with others.
Each can bring betterment to be enjoyed together.
We are acquainted with the night.
More importantly,
We are in the family of light.
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