Ex Tenebris

By Benjamin Andrew Casola

The title, "Ex Tenebris", translates from Latin into "Out of Darkness". This refers to the verse in John 1:5, whereby it states, "lux in tenebris lucet et tenebrae eam non comprehenderunt". This translates to "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (or in alternate versi

• Language: English
• Publisher: Benjamin Andrew Casola
• Release date: Oct 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781087925974

Book preview

This book is dedicated to God, my loving family, and to all those suffering with mental illness.

Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose. -Mary Shelly

I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of the hunger for life that gnaws in us all. -Richard Wright

A Promise

Forgiving now means giving in

to the wasteland we covered up.

Despite its expanse, we have a chance

to pour out this foul cup

and fill it up with something new

as softened as the sea,

true enough to keep our path

directed toward liberty.

Leaps of faith, such as this,

do come with a price.

They lead us audaciously

to a forgotten paradise.

Careful Scrutiny

There’s a tepid ocean

dwelling on the point

between stagnation and calamity

where my seed blooms slowly.

There’s moonlight like a mirror

I hate looking at today.

It’s one I’ll try to look at

every day after.

Though bleary, coarse,

and mostly true,

you’ll seldom find it’s not worth

at least bartering

with the darkest sides

of our disconcerted past.

The Big Book

The book we carry

weighs well above

what one canary

could hoist thereof.

It guides our way

of life abroad.

Ahead of dismay,

the crow had cawed.

We heard the bleat

in accordance with sin.

Amidst the heat,

we surrendered to win.

We gave it away

to keep what we got.

It’s no wonder today

is what yesterday wrought.

Crossing

Contemporaneous with passion

lives a brooding river of fear

crossed moment to moment

as its boundaries ebb and flow.

We never let go of our troubles.

We leave them where they are

meant to be, growing if unpruned.

They trundle along as good times roll

faster than we can savor them.

Yet we make efforts