Sunset at Kolob
The Sun--
Having spent the day journeying across the Earth
Where it followed the length and breath of the Great Wall,
Scaled the face of Everest,
Scorched anew the Sahara,
Witnessed man once more at war,
Blessed the farmers plowing in the fields
From Asia to Africa to Iowa,
Played in the waves of the Aegean Sea,
Gazed upon the Parthenon,
And turned the faces of the sunflowers and narcissus
--Finds here a repose.
It looks eastward upon its image
Held in the Hand of God.
The Sun's final rays set the stones ablaze.
It warms and awakens,
Breathing life into the frozen stones.
Mirroring its splendor upon opposing sandstone
--A silent echo of its own glory.
Sinking drowsily into blue hills,
It splashes the clouds
Red, coral, gold, orange, and purple
--A vibrant, downy comforter
Blue sky deepens to purple velvet.
Softening into the stillness of dusk.
The last long rays fade and die away
Into long cool shadows.
A still breeze gently rustles the leaves,
Swaying the trees in an ancient dance.
Solitude has fallen across the land.
Peaceful slumber comes again
To the darkening amphitheater
--A sunset frozen once more into stone.
Copyright, Ruth Scovill
First published in the Kolob Canyon Review Vol. XVI
Southern Utah University 2008
