Shining On To Forever The dawn approaches. The light of a million years and an hour Spreads its warming glow across the sky; The world breaks out in rebirth and renewal, An infinite plane subsumed by fire. The sun rides high. The warmth and glory beats down upon me, Bathing me in entirely too much light; Shadows writhe and flee from its rays, A golden storm of liquid effervescence. The sinking brilliance. The darkness begins to reclaim its own, Advancing in the wake of the retreating splendour; The last tired remnants of a light burning out Withdraw quietly over the distant mountains. The infinite blackness. In this maze of delicate shadows Only the silence can retain its dark throne; All the scattered pieces of a vain remembrance Make themselves plain to the observant emptiness. The fading moment. We sit here, the two of us, gazing contentedly, On the crest of a green, flowered hillock; You smile at me, and the day is complete. The passage of time goes unheeded. Brandon Sumner