--- Between Light and Darkness by Vijay Sharma Erry In childhood’s lanes, I chased the light, A lantern glow in fading night. Its trembling flame, so small, so weak, Yet held the warmth my soul would seek. Dark corridors in our old home, Whispered secrets, shadows roamed. I feared the hush, the hollow air, Till that lone lamp declared its care. The storm outside would howl and rage, Like monsters trapped within a cage. Yet one small wick, so frail, so thin, Kept courage bright, kept hope within. I learned that night, though vast and deep, Could never steal the dreams I keep. For every shadow bows away, When even one soft flame will stay. The darkness taught me how to see, The light that hid inside of me. A spark of will, a steady song, To guide me when the nights grow long. Once as a child, I lost my way, The sun had sunk, the skies turned gray. But fireflies came, a thousand beams, And led me back through silver dreams. Their tiny glow, a fleeting thread, Became the stars that lit my head. And I believed with all my heart, That even endings are a start. Through years that followed, pain and strife, Dark nights would walk beside my life. Yet candles flickered, voices stayed, Reminding me I wasn’t afraid. A single lamp in mother’s hand, A prayer she hummed, a soft command. It told me light is never gone, It waits for us to carry on. Now grown and older, I still find, That light and dark both shape the mind. One shows the world, so clear, so true, The other whispers what to do.