“Darker evenings are a feature of the Autumn season and impending hibernation. My mind and body respond in unison. Fear of suffocation by the perpetual darkness is relieved by spiritual hope and practical light.”
Amanda Young, BA ( Hons) Art and Design Practise currently studying MA Illustration. She lives in Cornwall , UK and examples of her work can be found on Instagram. @amandayoungart (Instagram)
A Rambling Meditation
Poetry by Oliver Kleyer
CW: Mention of Illness
Fear is a man’s best friend? I always thought, a dog is man’s best friend. Given the choice, I’d rather have a dog than being afraid. But sometimes you have no options.
Well then, here we go: I’m afraid of the dark, afraid to be alone, to be left (it has happened before), afraid of indecent decisions by the wrong people in the wrong positions and above all, and despite a very optimistic prognosis, I’m afraid that the cancer could come back.
But there is a remedy for fear: Hope (with a capital H). Hope can be found anywhere and it can take many forms, It can be the little girl next door, talking encouragingly to the plants, so they will grow beautifully. It can be the taste of liquorice. Any creature not seeing a threat in you. And even a rambling poem in a literary magazine.
Because Hope searches in this world what helps the world. With Hope, we can fight fear and it also gives us a tool to put up against fear’s agents. So, back on the topic, fear really is man’s best friend, because fear leads to Hope.
Oliver Kleyer is a teacher and poet from Northern Germany. He writes in German and English. His poems have appeared inSixpence Society, The Amazine, the "FromOneLineto another" anthology and elsewhere. When not writing or teaching, he's trying to make his mandolin sing. @funnyfrogget (Twitter)