Work-day Sunrise (a poem)

 

If sun’s rise was my daily task
I fear the day would start too late,
and creatures who in its rays bask
would simply have to watch and wait.

Would I be apt to paint the sky anew
each morning with wonderful hues
whilst birds would sing to greet the dew
drops ling’ring onto evening’s snooze?

To give the starting shove to such a globe
my feeble arms would ne’er be able.
Prefer I, then, to watch Him robe
the skies with light so stable.

I never thought I could be a poet, but then I started reading Robert Frost and realized that poetry is really just an outpouring of observation. If you pay enough attention to a thing or spend time contemplating it, you can write poetry about it. Part of this poem came to me this morning as I cleaned Sutherland Hall (the picture above is from yesterday morning, in the early stages of dawn).

Being able to see the sun rise each weekday morning is one of the reasons I rarely complain about my early morning custodial job. I know that seeing such a spectacle so often has had a great impact on me. Although I enjoy getting to sleep in on the weekends, I hate to miss the sunrise. In fact, I’m usually a bit disoriented if I wake up and it’s already bright outside because I am so used to being at my work before the sun. The sunrise means a new beginning. It puts an end to the darkness that I started my day in.  It means that God is still in control.

And this morning I was so glad that it’s not my job to make the sun rise. Often I try to control every aspect of my life, and I tend to hold myself responsible when any small – or large – thing goes wrong. But there are some things I have absolutely no control over, and one of the most obvious things is the sunrise. I would never be able to do such a thing, but I know the God who can, and He knows me.

Now, I know that the “sunrise” is actually just the earth revolving around again to where the sun shines on my specific hemisphere, and I know that some would have a problem with me saying that God even causes this to happen every day. Regardless, without God, the beautiful sunrise would not be, nor would I be here to admire it.