How Arrogant the Sun

A poem I wrote as I watched the sun rise,

Oh, how arrogant the sun 
Waking the world from deathly slumber
Bursting through the shadows
Setting the night on fire 
Insisting, persisting
Until there is no darkness left
Then up and up it rises
Shooting for the zenith
A king on the throne
watching its subjects burn
from its sweltering power
A life-giving light
A treacherous flame
And then it descends—
Down and down goes the sun
Like the fall of Sisphyus’ rock
Meeting its end on the horizon
Yet even at its downfall
It refuses to leave
Without first painting the sky
A majestic canvas of color
Withdrawing from the world
the same way it came—
in a blaze of glory
Oh, how arrogant the sun