R.E. Slater - And There Was No Dawn (poem)

And There Was No Dawn
by R.E. Slater

In the black of morn gay songbirds sang,

alongside warbling robins chirping “Cheer-Cheer-rio’s”,

the spring woodthrushes clucked “Twala-la-dees,”

echoing woodland grouse thumping plumping breasts.

Upon my ear dark greenwoods flew awake

by their one’s and two’s and three’s, til’

fair woods burst its blackened bounds

echoing O’ echoing sweet heavenly rings.

Chilled the air, and frosty the grounds, were

upon the deep darks that closed my bounds,

as anon did I go a ’wandering its glistens

gloriously listening sweet heavenly visions.

Yet the heralded dawn would not come,

as deep darkness held fast the steadfast sun,

as I, and woodlawn, held our gaze

along shadowy lands its nary haze.

At once I knew this darkened world

was withholden its light upon its stays,

as earth revolved and day turned night

benighting the lands of the midnight sun.

Once filling with warming light from above

each ray singing gay morning fast awake,

but not this day, nor tomorrow’s dawn,

All ruined, all lost, this darkening day.

Both land and beast, slumbering hawk and fowl,

knew not whence this source of withering chill,

that closed the eyes of an unseeing world

withholding gay songs upon its beating breast.

And there was no dawn this day of days,

and there was no sun greeting mankind’s ways,

to darkly lay morn's bounds upon the ground

denying gay haunts across fair paschal lands.

As I, and earth, felt our way upon fey paths,
across the deep darks awakening its evil,
believing goodness came when fast asleep,
but it did not come these wastelands of hate.

- R.E. Slater

April 2-5, 9, 2015; Aug 27, 2015; Jun 1, 2020;

“you made me see the stars above”

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