ON SLIPPERED FEET

When I was in middle school "back in the olden days" we learned to sing classic songs like The Road to Mandalay. I was intrigued by the description of a sunrise as "the dawn comes up like thunder out of China 'cross the Bay." No, it doesn't! Dawn always arrives quietly, gently, as if wearing bedroom slippers.

I admit to ignoring dawn most of the time as I remain snuggled under my comforter with the window curtains drawn. But on rare occasions like the one I've described below, I've experienced the awesome splendor of an unforgettable sunrise which the Creator paints for us so faithfully and regularly whether we are aware of it or not.

 

  CAPTURING THE AUTUMN DAWN

Leona Choy

I wait in pre-dawn darkness

watching for the sun's first ray while

blue and gray overlay 

the achromatic horizon.

Silently a blushing tint of anticipation

steals from beyond the tree line

to lighten the purple shadows.

I begin to see the frosted fence rails

hidden by the unlit night

green pines stand motionless

revealed now in stark silhouette.

An eagle in flight sails slow-motion across

the powder-blue canopy of sky while

golden streaks dispel dusky apparitions.

The eerie scene begins to assume

familiar friendly features while

mist still hugs bronzed tree tops

shorn of autumn brilliance.

Another eagle circles and returns...
is it her mate seeking her?

Frost has aerosoled late October grass

turning the meadow into an albescent carpet.

For a moment dark clouds threaten to hide

the sunrise as I wait, scarce breathing:

Will I miss the main feature after all?

No! I rise to my feet in worship!
Burnt-gold leaps boldly upward
thrusting aside the indigo mass
showering me with warmth and brilliance.

The blazing sun catapults into view

as from a celestial launching pad

into the space of a fresh, new day

blushing the shy white clouds crimson.

I cannot bear to gaze upon this spectacle:

I shade my eyes at the flaming finale.

A fog blanket still shrouds the valley below

but God begins to paint powder-blue across

the vast sky canvas with a wide brush

until a daytime dome appears overhead

paling deep hues into muted pastels.

An alarm clock jangles by some distant bedside

forcing me reluctantly back to mortal thoughts

by the intrusiveness of prosaic human routine.

But I have been an awed and adoring spectator

privileged to stand on nature's sacred ground

to view the miracle of an autumn dawn.

I stand transfixed in silent worship 
not of created sun and nature's video display
but of the Creator of heaven and earth.
The memory of God's enchanting wake-up call
lingers through my day's mundane routine
reminding me that God is over all
of ordered nature, seasons, space and time
and human endeavors...
including mine!