Relief

The glare from January's low afternoon sun sent me squinting about town. Things are only half there on such days— one side brilliant and stark and the other darkly shaded. On such days I eagerly await sunset, and the dusk when the sky turns cerulean and the moon brings its soft glow. The assault is over until tomorrow, and my eyes can rest. Starlight and lamplight soothe my senses, and the world, no longer piebald, becomes a serene and subdued place. The harsh contrasts are gone. The ordered constellations count the dark hours here in the big shade of Earth. Soon I will go watch Orion rise from the pines, and the crescent moon sink down the opposite side of the dome. I'm glad the winter nights are so long.


( Sunday Verse )