The golden, red-hued sun sets over the rich blue bay.
The jagged steel of cities lies behind me, out of sight.
I refuse to turn around, to see that view I so dismay,
When instead I can remain here, enrobed in nature’s light.

I fear those final moments when that halo drops below
And the perfect darkness of the night is rudely interrupted.
The sunset wraps the day up like a present, ties a bow;
The people don’t accept this gift, but instead corrupt it.

They foul the precious nighttime with their own invasive lights.
A jarring gray and yellowed landscape intrudes and pains the eyes;
A brash challenge to nature’s beauty it boldly invites.
It drowns out the sounds of Earth itself as, betrayed, it now cries.

But still I, in amazement, turn my back on all the rest
As the sun, ever lively, looks to dip below the sea.
The moment overwhelms as the sun’s very crest
Finally falls out of sight at a point of jubilee.

But the starry sky must console me as I am forced to turn away
And return to the stark world of harsh lights and grim grays.