Walking to School in the Dark

Dawn chases sunset
This time of year, closing ground
Until the solstice,
Then losing ground a fortnight

Before, exhausted,
It starts falling back itself,
And the nights begin to shrink.

The latest, darkest mornings
Are not those before Christmas
In the northern hemisphere,
But those just after.

It’s now, when the sun briefly
Both sets and rises
A little later each day

That the world can seem to spin
Slightly backward, slipping in
The arms of night, reminding

The wary and sensitive
Soul light is always shifting.
Life depends on directions
Reversing to keep living.