Ode to the Dusk

O gentle dusk, with amber breath, you fall,

Like a quiet melody upon the edge of night;

You drape the weary world in softened shawl,

And dim the day with tender and fading light.

I stand before your fleeting, solemn glow,

A lone, silent witness to your slow retreat;

For in your hush, a truth I’ve come to know-

Each farewell whispers life is incomplete.

So every eve, I bid thee my heart to bow,

And part with you as tho’ it were the last;

No promise held within tomorrow’s vow,

No certainty that a dawn will follow fast.

Your fading light reminds me, soft yet deep,

T’at time is but a precious gift I cannot claim;

And as the earth prepares itself for sleep,

I whisper prayers and call upon His name.

Should the dawn break thru’ the veil of night,

And paint the skies with mercy’s golden hue,

I shall rise in awe beneath its sacred light,

A soul made new, with purpose to pursue.

For every breath and each moment given,

Is grace unearned, a blessing from above;

A chance to walk more humbly under heaven,

To live the day in gratitude, purpose and love.

So go, dear dusk, with all your quiet grace,

I lose you gently from my trembling sight;

And if I wake to greet the morning’s face,

I will live more fully—thankful for the light.

A. Anato Swu