Ostrich egg with blue ink by artist and poet Michael Bailey

OPPOSITES—THE LIGHT & SHADOWS OF THE UNIVERSE

If there were not opposites there would be no form…no evolution, no experience

Sitting by a lake on a fall afternoon,
I opened may eyes to a flood of glistening light and shadows.

“What is this?” I asked.
It’s lights…
It’s darks…

What is behind those shadows and shimmers?
What is this Life…

that shakes, dances,
and lures me in
with the promise of discovering its secrets?

What started this movement?
What inspired its beginning?

I cannot hold it,
I cannot grasp its story,
but I will follow and soak in its wisdom.

I will play with it, love it,
let it caress my spirit and tickle my imagination.

I’ll ride its endless wave,
and little by little I’ll catch this spark of intelligence
and hold it close to my heart so I can feel its glow

Expanding, it will open a new world.
I want to consciously experience this universe of light.

—Michael Bailey