Where the Light Touches
the moment before everything begins again
There is a still that comes
before the hour knows its name,
no silence,
but something listening.
The air, soft as breath against skin,
waits. And in the waiting,
you almost forget
the noise you came from.
Then,
a shift.
No thunderclap,
no blaze,
just the gentle landing
of morning
on the curve of a leaf.
Light doesn’t shout.
It arrives.
It finds what has been waiting
to be seen.
A single line of gold
across the glass,
warming the air
like a benediction.
It never asks if you are ready.
It never warns
this is the moment
everything begins again.
You remember:
you are still here.
And the pull of that
is holy.
You carry grief
like sea-glass in your pocket,
sharp edges smoothed
by the turning tides.
Even that is touched
by this light.
It falls across your shoulders,
tender and unearned,
and suddenly,
you are more than ache.
You are breath,
you are held,
you are part of the sky’s
quiet turning.
Somewhere, a bird lifts.
Somewhere, the water stirs.
And though everything appears the same,
everything has changed.
Let the moment stay,
just a little.
Let it be enough
that the light found you
and you let it.
About the Creator
Tim Carmichael
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Bloodroot and Coal Dust, his latest book.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
Keep reading
More stories from Tim Carmichael and writers in Poets and other communities.
Comments (50)
Wow Tim. This is … absolutely rivetingly beautiful. Your win was well deserved. Congratulations.
Congratulations on the win- the poem reminds me of a fortune cookie that says to reach the highest height you must know the lowest depths. You are writing about seeing things from an elevated plane, that makes the moment really seem the present.
I appreciate linguistically nuanced expressions.
Beautifully restful and full of wondrous light. Captivating like the caress. Congratulations on your win Tim
What a wonderful poem - I felt the dawn in every cell. Beautiful work.
I love how you alluded light to the self-congrats on your win
This poem evokes both the hush of morning and the moment that awe overtakes consciousness and quiets thought. Lush and gorgeous, Tim! Truly a joy to read. Congratulations on winning the challenge! Richly deserved!
Finally playing catchup, congrats on a well deserved win!
This poem is quite literally deeper than the depth of the deepest of things. Not many would think that an hour has a name, enough to state it. Damn! I know that feeling. Forgetting the noise I came from. AHH 😌 I like the distinction you made, as it relates to the sound light makes. There's no shouting it just arrives. Beautiful. Grief ~ carried ~ like sea glass in your pocket. Touching a nerve. My emotions are coming to the surface here. Masterful application. The last three lines. I think I've fallen into something like calm. This poem was like the lightest touch personified — melted into words. Congratulations on your challenge win Tim🎉🎉🎉❤️🤗
Tim, I loved this! Congratulations on your win! Well deserved!
Clear and well-crafted imagery Tim. Poetic lines that beckon to be read again. Kudos on your first place win! Well done! Congratulations 🎉👏🏾 🎉
Congratulations on your well deserved win!🏆 I was clueless on this challenge and you nailed it! I loved: “ You remember: you are still here. And the pull of that is holy. You carry grief like sea-glass in your pocket, sharp edges smoothed by the turning tides.”💖
Beautiful and effective imagery! Well done and congrats on your prize Tim! 😊 👏 🎉
Beautiful. Well done Tim ❤
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Ethereal - beautiful!
Returning to congratulate you on your win! 🥳🥳🥳
You wove such beautifully descriptive details throughout this piece. Congratulations on your very well deserved win! I particularly loved these lines: "you are more than ache. You are breath, you are held"
Well done, sir! Dunno how I missed this beauty! I guess, cos there is just loads of stuff on here all the time! Congrats to the Top Story, and to coming first! Well done! This is a beautiful poem and can see why it was picked!
Such a beautiful read. Congratulations on your win Tim... you must be so happy!!
Wonderful. How you capture all that beauty and eternity with finely-crafted and well-placed words astounds me. A very well-deserved TS and Challenge Win!!
Congrats on the win 👏👏👏👏👏
Beautiful, sorry I missed this. Congrats on TS and the WIN!! I LOVED the lines: warming the air like a benediction. and You carry grief like sea-glass in your pocket, and the ending! Fabulous work, Tim❣️
Well deserved win and Congratulations!
There was no doubt in my mind this was going to be in the winners circle and so glad to see that this won. You created a beautiful poem that should last for a very long time in people’s minds