Blessing for the Longest Night

All throughout these months
as the shadows 
have lengthened, 
this blessing has been
gathering itself, 
making ready,
preparing for
this night.
     It has practiced
     walking in the dark,
     traveling with
     its eyes closed,
     feeling its way
     by memory,
     by touch,
     by the pulling of the moon
     even as it wanes.
So believe me
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
It will find you
even though you
cannot see it coming
     You will know
     the moment of its
     arriving
     by your release
     of the breath
     you have held
     so long;
a loosening of the 
clenching in your hands; 
or the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning of the
darkness that
had drawn itself
around you.
     This blessing
     does not mean
     to take the night away
     but it knows
     its hidden roads,
     knows its resting spots
     along the Path,
     knows what it means
     to travel
     in the company
     of a friend.
So when the blessing comes,
take its hand. 
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.
     This is the night
     when you can trust
     that any direction
     you go, 
          you will be walking
               toward the dawn.