Sundial Soul

I have a sundial on my heart
to tell me when the sun rises
    and when it will set


Where the shadow falls
    where the line is blurred
time lengthens into earth-bent grays
    - from rosy dawns to sailor's delight,
    red sun-life pours shadow through my soul


I have a sundial in my soul
    to tell me where the sun rises
    and where it sets


Shadow shortens as the day grows longer,
    heat building as the sun climbs
- at the zenith, when the shadow disappears,
    the sun is forgotten for a moment,
    despite its light
-- til the orb descends and the shadow falls again
and gray lines trace the circle round my center,


    shadows ticking out the beats
    like hands in the sand.


I have a sundial on my soul
    to tell me that the sun rises,
    and that it sets
and the zenith's absent shadow
    is cast as light on stone.