Solstice after Cataract Surgery
I traced contours of a giant pine
filled with colorful lights
below an overcast tent of sky.
I traced lit wreaths hanging from crossbeams
across an old railroad bridge where we walked
to view the Dungeness river and ghost trees.
Long ago, Norse and Germanic believers
burned a yule log
as a triumph of light over dark.
Red – yellow – green – blue hot air balloons
rise today in Seattle over Green Lake
despite days of rain.
A woman circles the lake
spreading her cape of lights
as children ask to pose with her for photos.
My newly uncovered eyes
rediscover
the glow of luminosity.
It is a cacophony of light and darkness
as our lives trace the rising / falling
of time’s universal carousel.
Sunrise, Newgrange, County Meath
Who cleared the hazelwood?
Who hoisted the rock?
Who watched skies to set the date?
That was five thousand years ago
and I wonder
who etched three spirals in limestone?
Sun creeps over the mountain
to affix a stream of light
into the Newgrange roof-box.
Will I see the dead pass by
the passage tomb
if I’m lucky enough
to win the annual solstice lottery?
