Acrophobia Overcome : A Poem

Acrophobia Overcome
A Poem by Michele Matucheski, Copyrighted 1991

I've been stepping out my window lately
to lie upon the roof over the south deck.
At night, I can't see the height below me in the abyss,
And looking up, it seems
I can only fall into the
Lake of Stars above me.
And so I close my eyes and
let the night seep into my bones.
It's not like drowning
(nor drowning upside-down).
Rather, it fills my lungs
and widens my being until
I feel as huge as the air
that buoys me in the night.

For the night is not all dark.
It is peopled with the pale face of the moon
and the freckled presence of the stars,
pinholes in the veil that reveal
immense intensity in the light behind--
Together, they bare light enough
to read the shadows of the trees
that run like veins of Alaskan Diamonds* through
the visage my vantage affords me.

And I wonder
What is there to fear in the night?

* Alaskan Diamonds refers to hematite, a dark mineral with a rich luster.


I wrote this poem as a class assignment for African Poetry at UW-Madison. Not only did we read and interpret poetry, Dr. Kunene asked us to MAKE poetry. That was a good period in my life--I was content (still am, mostly).

One day, I had a great talk with a far-away friend. He asked, What's the prettiest place you've ever been? For him, it was someplace in Missouri on the river with the hills and water. I always pictured a scene from Lewis & Clark. For me at the time, it was Shakopee, MN. I got to work there for a short time. I remember the hotel was near a race track, so things were spread out--I awoke to dew seeping through my sandals from the lush red clover I was standing in, tree-covered hills on the horizon, and a field of wheat not far off. But I guess it doesn't really matter where I am, so long as I can make out a sky full of stars, I can be happy.

Not long after, the night was so beautiful. It was after I talked with Jody, that I went for a walk. The stars were beginning to appear. And when I got back to the House, I sat in the yard and just drank in that beautiful night : the breeze in the trees, Miriam's cello, that saphhire sky ... It was WONDERFUL, and I wanted Miriam to feel it too. So I sat her in a lawn chair, face turned towards the stars, and I read her my "Acrophobia Overcome" poem. It still accurately expresses the sentiment I get from the experience. Enjoy!