Songs of gyration

1.

Behold, another day has passed on.

Its morning slept through; its noon rushed through

Its evening wasted in social activities. While good people

Slept sweetly in the wee hours; the birds were already raising their songs

In praise of the day and of its magnificence, singing even before any light

Had reached the sky, when the dawn was a gentle dream

And the night was a guest delaying his departure

To make way for the glorious day.

 

When the dawn broke, a child was born

It left its mother’s womb once and for all and came in

Crying with its breath, shivering in the morning cold, naked

Because of the scarcity of light, gentle because of the subtleness of the rays

The nurses bathed and dressed the newborn child, and its parents gave praise

To the glorious morning that bestowed upon them this life

As its rays passed through the cool haze, which they

Gazed with narrow and sleepy eyes.

 

When the forenoon came the youth

Was energetic but still gentle, still weak, it moved about

Quickly, like a darting fish, like a buzzing fly, it seemed to know only

Motion, dashes, jumps, rushes, splashes, comings and goings fully content

With their continuum, while the old folks on the benches shook their heads

To the monkey motions and foolhardy notions of this kindly youth

It talked with an inexhaustible vigor that very few possess

It did not rest as the day moved on.

 

When the noon peaked, the adult plowed

The soil. He saw seeds and cared for the growing plants

Went to the woods or fished in the river, he had sons and daughters

For them, he built a small but comfortable house and kept a garden out back

He did not rest but was diligent in his duties. He valued holding in his sobs of

Discontent and lack of appreciation which he suffered through like a

bird flying in the rain. He found content in his work and in

His family as the noon hours passed by.

 

The afternoon rolled like a tool that slips

Between the fingers of a master carpenter. The harvest was

Almost collected, the silos filled, the big and cool cellar was adorned

With stockpiles of ripe fruit and provisions for a fatal winter. The adult found

Pleasure in resting by the window and watching the empty fields with their

Dry leaf tokens of a half year gone by with long days and busy work.

With a chill hidden in the wind and tell of an upcoming rain

The fields were empty and the silos full.

 

The evening came like it had always

Been there with a green dash in the sky, a yellow stain on the

Horizon, where once the sun had set away. There was plenty of food

Stored down in the cellar, and it was warm in the house. In front of a dying fire

The ancient set there silently watching the fire, feeling very much like the fire

With hands too weak for labor or love, with eyes too worn out to see

With mind too old and stupid to remember, think, or dream

With a body ready to leave with the light.

 

Then all fell into night.

 

2.

The sun was born with its own sunrise

And the people rejoiced in the glory of its light.

The sun peaked proudly on the sky’s top

And the people wiped their foreheads in the heat

The sun relaxed as it came down westward

And the people also rested, drank beer and tea

The sun set in a dazing wildfire that scorched the sky

And the people observed it in awe and splendor

The twilight glowed, then the sun was gone

And the people began to wonder and worry

All light was gone apart from the trickery stars and moon

And the people mourned the death of their god.

 

3.

Where did you go, our one and only star?

The day was short-lived; there is still much

To do, there is much to live, many of us have

No yet lived our lives, but were busy in the

Mounting and dismounting of lies, but you

Oh Sun, where did you go, how did the

Earth swallowed you, and now we only

Have the companionship and the

Cold light of your pedigree in the

Celestial bodies, all your brothers

And sisters so far, far away

Are you now with them?

 

4.

The ancient Romans held their funerals

At night, this seemed most convenient for Pluto

Now the sun has left the day and died

So, a funeral was held at midnight

With an empty coffin above which

The day laborers, the playful children,

The melancholic mothers and forgetful fathers

Wept and mourned the death of the star

And the world that slipped into darkness.

In actuality, they wept and mourned for themselves

And for the struggles they believed would follow.

 

5.

The sun shines, and this is all it can.

It does not even know it shines.

It rotates around itself and nothing more.

All other planets and moons hover around

Its blazing presence, but if we were to

Look outside the window it would seem

That the sun goes around the Earth

And we feel like it is so. A textbook

Might make us conscious for a while

But then we will forget. We modern beings

Are no more different than the Egyptians

Or Greeks who saw the Sun as a flying God

Traveling above the world and sending light.

 

6.

When my grandfather died, we mourned his absence

When whoever dies, we may only weep

For what we no longer have

Therefore, we shed tears

And make rituals

For our own

Lack!

 

The soul is in its celestial wanderings, devoid of forms

Of consciousness, of presence, or reality. It is

Where our thoughts cannot go. It cannot

Go back and see the world it left

Just like the child may

Not see the womb

Of its mother!

 

The Sun passed on and went to shine elsewhere

Not conceiving of the spaces, it left behind

Where people now wait for the light

To return and give them life

Passing through the

Slightly open

Door!

 

7.

You may not catch the sun in a China cup

Nor anchor it with a big chain, you may

Predict its movements with great accuracy

But what use you have of this but to make

Nice forecasts which people watch because

They have nothing better to do.

 

You may, however, diligently watch the sun

And watch yourself with the care of a creator

And watch all things as they are and if you do it

Properly you will have no time for

Anything else apart from watching.

 

Now the sun has set away, and the night is practically

Here. It is best to leave the blinds open and the

Windows open, and the door slightly open,

While you shut your eyes for sleep.

 

So, the light and bird song and renewed

Air and morning haze and celestial praise

May enter in your bedroom.

 

Wake you up early without hesitation

Go to the places that call you.

 

Without going anywhere, just like the sun shines.