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"The Reassurance of Sunrise"

I did the math. If I live to be eighty,
I will have been inspired by 28,160 sunrises.
But, harken ye and harken ye well,
for this is a premise fraught with glaring flaws.
One must take into account all those missed sunrises,
when Morpheus held me in locked embrace,
and I arose too late for the solar ascension.
Or, when I arose betimes,
pushing my reluctant pen across recalcitrant paper,

stumbling through my creative fog,
neglecting my eastern window.
And, what of the mornings I was denied dawn's splendor?
When clouds, fog or snow intervened?
When the curtains never rose?
When I was left clutching the tickets to a canceled show,
that might, or might not, be redeemable for later that week?

The golden glow, the broad, pink brush strokes,
those "red sky in the morning, sailor take warning"
lavish streaks of unbridled crimson,
the black silhouette of pine against salmon sky...
There is beauty in each.
There is more than beauty.
There is reassurance.

Frequently do we face west,
marveling at the fleeting spectacle
as the curtain falls on yet another day.
Too infrequently do we face east,
embracing the possibilities of a new day...
A fresh start, a clean slate, a chance to begin anew.
For it is not only the spectacle of sunrise that inspires,
it is the reassurance that it represents.
Mathematical calculation and faulty premise aside,
I plan to attend as many of my remaining 7,216 sunrises
as human foibles and inclement weather will allow.

For, after all, it is not only the glory,
but the daily reassurance of sunrise, that I seek.

Learn more about this author, Deb Lambert.
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