Lights twinkle on the horizon
alerting me to activity
families sharing dinner
then homework telly or devices
Emergency personnel respond
or a chill night at the pub or club
meal at a fancy restaurant
meetings to attend, visits made
Life seems so busy as I sit in the quiet
solitude contemplating, just being
free from duties and activities
not caught up in the dramas of life
Breathing calmly, nothing to blight
we set our own priorities to ignite
some seek insight others hold tight
we focus on the familiar with delight
These coastal towns are thirty k away
a highway hum reminds me of ants
busy on the trail, invisible yet task focused
rushing but oblivious to what passes by …
Most on automatic no deep thought
or goal assessment, fulfilling expectations
of societal mores, labouring mindlessly
at their daily chores. Never considering
the iron net that completely traps them
captive to the ‘norm’, trained to conform
educated to obey, never to convey
independent thinking or creative solutions!
the photo is those twinkling lights 20-30k away …
dVerse OLN with Lillian
aroused 
A great observational poem Kate, reminded me of my poem,,’ Worms and Ants . I find my open Mic’ night’s to be a fun social event, and a great chance to meet/chat with young poets…..
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Iron net..we don’t always realize is there.
I love lights at night…especially starts 😉
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I’m glad they don’t consider the iron net or feel trapped.
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Just ants in an anthill scurrying about! You got it right ! Especially, oblivious to what is going on around them!
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that’s how it often seems Dwight,
never pausing to see
if that’s where they really want to be …
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I think it’s amazing how we can get trapped in such a thing
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I have some photos like that… we took a some harbor boat rides – evening, setting sun and all that.
Fun how the light gets captured.
Each ant makes a part of the whole community. Very few diverge. Yet there are some who are able to enjoy life. …May we continue to to so while encouraging others to do the same.
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This was wonderful KATE! Lights across the water can conjure splendid fantasies. They are bewitching!
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The norm can be an iron net we don’t even see about us.
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Incisive and visceral it provokes well, great lines Kate 🙂
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Your thought process unfolds so well as the poem progresses. I especially like these descriptive words: “highway hum reminds me of ants, busy on the trail, invisible yet task focused.”
I do enjoy sitting outside, looking at lights in the dark be they stars or lights from far away or office lights left on in highrises across our city streets. They also make for reflection…in terms of restful thinking…even though, in the case of the city, they may actually mean some of those ants working away into the night!
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Quiet surroundings and solitude always lead to contemplation… this is beautiful, Kate.
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What a profound piece Kate. It sums up our lives.
One needs to choose very cleverly as everything has its cost.
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I like the progression in this poem, Kate, from lights twinkling on the horizon to thinking about what they are, to meditating on distance and difference. I also like the varied rhyme scheme and the images of ‘ants / busy on the trail, invisible yet task focused’ and the ‘iron net that completely traps them’.
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Beautiful poem and photo, Kate!
Life doesn’t stop when the sun does to bed. I love a quiet night to take a walk and commune with the moon and stars and occasional hooting-owl….to to think and meditate. To focus and to find a centering. 🙂
HUGS!!! 🙂
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Lovely meditation – I like the way you move from the lights to something more profound, and then bring it back again.
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https://ree-creates.com/2019/05/03/night-lights-aroused/
Shared your profound insights Kate! Xx
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[…] Night Lights — arousedHave you ever paused long enough to see the invisible “iron curtain” and notice what in your hurry to achieve you are actually missing…Let Calmkate @ aroused open your eyes to the Night Lights. Le grà, Marie xx […]
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How much noiseless is your area?
20-30k is pretty far seriously.
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highway hum would be less than a kilometre, can’t see it but they are constantly driving along .. had a heap of birds carrying on this afternoon, love to hear their chatter 🙂
then crickets, bilbies, wallabies, bandicoots and possums and none of them make much noise Hammad 🙂
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That says it all Kate, and I agree! I am thankful to not be part of it either. I feel blessed to be able to see ‘what passes by’ and to enjoy it before it’s lost. Probably one of my favourite pieces of yours! Enjoy today! Xx
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A beautiful poem celebrating lights from a distance..as always kate you nailed it..
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An insightful blend of philosophy and observation. Ouch, Kate!
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Thanks Norah … we often claim we don’t have time for this or that but I sincerely believe we can make the time if it’s important to us 🙂
How many hours do people waste on bad tv …
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Beautiful lights but very faint and at a distance and a nice poem to be away from the humdrum and be relaxed in oneself, Kate. Loved the poem.
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You have nailed it, Kate.
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LOVE the last two lines!
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Twinkle, twinkle, little lights
In the distant black of nights
Like beacons in the dark somewhere
Letting us know that they are there.
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Lights always mean brightening the dark.
I like to look at the shimmering lights of the city in the distance.
greetings
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