Home » Poems » John Anderson » The Light in Plato's Cave

Notes About The Poem

Plato's cave tells of prisoners who have spent their lives watching shadows cast upon a wall, believing them to be reality because they have never seen anything else. When one prisoner is freed, he discovers the fire, the objects creating the shadows, and finally the daylight beyond the cave. He realizes that the shadows were only reflections of a deeper truth. Returning to share his discovery, he finds the others unwilling to abandon their familiar illusions. In this adaptation, the hidden light within the wood suggests that enlightenment is not gaining something new, but awakening to the light that has always existed within.

platos cave

Listen to poem:

The Light in Plato's Cave

We sat in Plato's cave,
with our backs to the door,
the fireplace behind us,
unable to see the world beyond
in the daylight.

We played with shadow puppets on the wall—
Punch and Judy, Tragedy and Comedy.
Then, one shadow learned to speak:
"Where does the light
that casts these shadows
come from?" it asked.
"It wasn't there when you stacked the logs."
"It wasn't there when you struck the match
to kindle a tiny flame."

"Yet the light sprang from the wood."
"Was it was already there,
waiting for the flame
to show it how to shine?"

For light is not passed
from hand to hand.
It sleeps within the within, of all things,
awaiting its moment to spring.

The fire did not create the light;
it revealed only what was already there.

And in that moment, the shadow wondered
whether it too had its own light source, 
hidden deep within, the within of its things.

inspirationlightlyric

♡Like0

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.