The Cave and the Sun - A Fable

The Cave and the Sun - A Fable

Once there  was a dingy Cave,
Hidden beneath the soil.
Her life was one of misery, hardship and of toil.
But one day through a little crack
A voice was heard to say,
"Come into the Sunshine, out into the light,
Out of utter darkness, out of bitter night,
Come into the open air and into glorious day!"

But Cave was quite a skeptic. She'd never seen the light.
"What is the Sunshine of which you speak? It sounds too good for me.
But nevertheless I'll venture out, for this I've got to see!"
And see, she did, with awe-filled eyes that blinked in wonderment
At all the brilliant colours bright, a new world to behold,
She had to tell the Sunlight about her past life - dark and cold.

Yet Mr Sun had never known what darkness was,
Or damp or dull, or cold
And so he too was a skeptic  and would not find his peace
Until he ventured underground to find the dark beneath.

But unlike cave, who found the light when she ventured into day,
The sun shone bright through caverns deep, and to his sheer dismay
The damp walls sparkled in His light, the shadows ran away
And in the once-dark chasms there shone the light of day.

"Where is the gloomy darkness? All I can see is light!
For where the Sun shines brightly there is no cold or night.
The lesson's plain, we need to be a light for all around
For where there is the Light of the World
No darkness can be found.
     -Lionel Hartley 27/11/99