‘Sunset,’ ‘Sunrise,’ and Other Poetry by Elena Sichrovsky The Society January 5, 2013 Poetry Sunset Daylight shines with the glow of the first morn Glittering rays of laughter soft and warm There’s no end to this heaven you’ve known Until the day you find shadows have grown You’re forced to face the facts and realize That even the sun sets in paradise Daylight trembles, for the first time flickers, Radiance fades with a chilling shiver The sun slips down from its realm in the sky Unable to watch a perfect world die With the happiness that cradled your lives But even the sun sets in paradise Daylight is gone, leaving a painful trace Of its last glimmer in the tears on your face The sun takes its last breath in the darkness There’s nothing that breaks your heart more than this But see beyond the river in your eyes The sun will rise again in paradise Sunrise Shadows fall across the paper Over the last strokes of your pen Icy breezes of wind whisper From the window that’s cracked open One thin beam of moonlight pierces Through the curtains that are drawn Lighting up the scattered pieces Of a perfect dream that’s now gone The world is already asleep But you’re sitting up till daybreak There’s no use in trying to keep Eyes closed when pain is still awake The pen slips from your fingers For there is nothing left to write The room suddenly grows darker As faith is swallowed up by night You know that you should be sleeping But the dark paralyzes you And so instead you start dreaming Of morning rays that you once knew When the light ripped through the shutters Bathing your hands and feet in gold You start dreaming about summer Though outside still stings bitter cold You are still dreaming, and then dreams Start transforming before your eyes The walls are glowing with hope’s beams The air is drenched in dawn’s surprise Light comes creeping through the window Spilling out as your paper flies Into the shinning sky aglow With the brilliance of sunrise! You Are There I hold out my fingers in the air Trying to catch a wisp of your breath You promised that your scent would be there Undiminished by the thorns of death I hold out my fingers in the air Hoping to touch you as you brush by You promised your presence would be there Unafraid of the dark, starless sky I hold out my fingers in the air Grasping for the last tip of your wings You promised you would take your flight there Unruffled by the tempest wind brings I hold out my fingers in the air Feeling for the warmth of your bright face You promised your smile would shine there Unchanged by the pain of your last race I hold out my fingers in the air And suddenly I know you are there Seeing Two eyes reflecting the brilliant sky To see the track unfold beneath your wheels To see the birds above urge you to fly And know how wind brushing against skin feels Two eyes to see something ahead looming Suddenly you are slamming brutally Into sharp metal that sends you reeling As tires screech and squeal frantically Footsteps come running, someone calls your name But no reply, not even a whisper From the mangled remains of a crushed frame That crumbles in a ghastly red splatter Two eyes blinded in the shuddering midnight That break open to a new world of pain Where everything that seemed just within sight Is gone with the falling of bitter rain One eye brimming with the last tears to cry To see the mirror screaming in horror To see each stitch like a knife in your eye And know that your lifelong dream is over One eye to see the sun spill a bright ray Across your blanket in a pattern of gold Finding the treasure in every new day Like a hard-fought victory in your hold Footsteps come softly, someone holds your hand Like the comforting wings of an angel Love pours a river through the desert sands And each color hope paints is more beautiful One eye looking ahead to the starlight That clings to the sky bravely twinkling Smiling with your face turned to the light With only one eye, but seeing, truly seeing This poem was written after I read about Formula 1 driver Maria de Villota’s near-fatal car crash. The 32-year-old Spaniard, only one of two woman F1 drivers, crashed into a stationary vehicle during a practice session on July 3, 2012, and sustained life-threatening injuries. She recovered but lost her right eye as well as her sense of smell and taste. Villota later recalled, ”The first day I looked at myself in the mirror I had 140 black stitches on my face, and they looked like they had been stitched with a boat rope. When I saw my eye, I was terrified. When I saw myself I thought ‘Who is going to love me looking like that?’ But since then I’ve realized they love me more than in a whole life.” She told reporters at the headquarters of the Spanish sports council, “Before, I only saw Formula One, I only saw myself in a car competing and did not see what was important in life, the clarity to say ‘I am alive’. This eye has given me my bearings, given me back what is important, and I accept it with the energy to say I am going to live out this chance 100 percent.” And while two more operations are still on the road to recovery, Villota remains optimistic, ”I am sure the best is yet to come.” The Poetess: I am a student living with my family in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Poetry is one of my passions and I’ve been writing since my early teens but have never received any formal training or joined any competitions. My poems are often inspired by by the various people and situations I hear of or read about in the news. These poems are among the entries for the Society of Classical Poets’ 2012 Poetry Competition. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 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