The night

At a time when the sun sets,

At a time when the day falls asleep,

At a time when the moon appears and the owls serenade;

Another world ascents.

A world where nature comes to life,

A world where streams flow willingly,

A world where the skies sparkle with thousands of colors,

his world; it’s night.

Darkness rises like a raging wind,

The shadows manifest with their long murderous hands,

And gently, peace returns and silence settles in

Like a thick veil that covers the scarecrows of the dark.

A thousand sensations surround me: fear, worry, loneliness…

My instinct tells me to run towards the light;

Towards this being who welcomes me with open arms

And protects me.

But, I’m a frozen frame;

A cold soul that watches and observes

The mystery of darkness that

Already controls my heavy moves.

I hear a thousand voices that circle me, but no noise.

 Sounds intertwine in an eternal silence.

Life resumes its course, and yet,

It’s as if time had suddenly stopped.

Little by little, my eyes are getting used to the shadows,

 To the nothingness that I am forced to see,

To the terror that I am forced to glimpse,

To the voices that I am forced to ignore.

I feel a presence;

She accompanies me in each of my very steps,

She drags me to the heart of the abyss,

To this frightening immensity that attracts me.

An extraordinary calm took hold of me,

A feeling of fullness that makes me wonder:

‘Do I find myself in a dream that I am allowed to see?

Or is it only the night that gives me life?’

She takes me in her arms, she caresses me,

She cradles me as one cradles a child to soothe him,

 And for the first time I smell

A scent of love and simple freedom.

The night is a dreaming poet,

A voice that whispers to deaf ears,

A friend who invites us to explore

The unknown and its mysteries.

She only whispers to lending ears,

To ears that are not afraid to listen.

She says: ‘Do you remember that other world,

This world of a thousand wonders in which you were born?’

_
Texto de Ainhoa Defois, segundo premio del XII certamen de poesía en modalidad inglés.