will the sun return?

this is it, folks.

the longest night of the year,
the time when humans huddle together for warmth and comfort
as they wait out the long dark.

you think you're immune to that old fear
you're enlightened, you're intelligent, you know how it all works
you're above all the primitive worries of your ancient forebears.

oh, how wrong you are
how deeply scored are the grooves of your history
the tattoo you bear that marks you human.

you can no more escape the collective, genetic memory of our kind
than a caterpillar can esacpe its need to cocoon
we fear the dark because we have always feared the dark.

hold on tightly to one another
keep the fire stoked, don't let it die out
this is it--- the longest night of the year.