A Rising Sunset

By Joseph Hesch

In a land named for a growing celestial light,
It was earth itself that heaved upon it
the sudden shaking darkness.
The wasted land awakened a frightened ocean
that ran crying to its mother,
pushing people further out of reach
of their rising sun, never to see the light again.
Always the darkness can become darker,
and though fear shortens arms,
we must never fear to embrace
even the dusk when we may.


I wrote this poem for my friend, poet Heather Grace Stewart's Poets for Tsunami Relief one-week blogzine of poetry on her website Where the Butterflies Go. She's posting as many poems by her many poet pals from around the world as she can this week on many different themes. Her plan is to offer the reading audience a variety of excellent poetry in hopes that readers will open their minds and hearts to the poems, and to the cause of donating to the relief of people caught in the aftermath of the horrible earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan. Please check out her website and embrace some light.