Boyan Angelov (Bulgaria)

Lights and darkness

Lights in the darkness and darkness amidst the light,

like the good and bad paths of the soul,

walking alone on its way on the Earth.

Every lamp goes off, every darkness shimmers.

Destined to loneliness, some stay in the dark.

They don’t want anything else and now they cannot,

while being alone to stare at light.

Drawn down curtains in a lonely home,

broken street lamps amidst poor boulevards and alleys

give way to light of an immense mansion,

shining like a heavenly, pageant creation.

Having nothing, to some light is something indifferent,

owning all conveniences, some have a lamp for everything:

rooms, gardens, a Christmas tree and a musical box,

blazes a pageant in their beautiful house.

The darker it is, the easier it is to accept the grief,

because the light reminisces of others’ happiness,

and the darkness bothers these others there –

in the world of luxury, brighter than a temple.

Brighter, but not spiritually uplifted,

it hides indifference towards the lonely of today,

these, who do not know happiness in this day

and do not believe, that every grief

can burn out from a single rainbow,

formed by the clash of exquisite panes

with beautiful, fake bright light.