I was never awake to see the sunrise

never able to see the sun awaken
from its lonely somber slumber

I never saw the milky coral blue
sky that turned a lighter shade of blue
with every minute that passed,
until almost achieving a pure
white light until the first rays of light
burst out from behind the distant
tree-lined mountain tops.

And I never saw the people down on
the street – shuffling about like fire ants
with coffee, papers and quick glances
at watches with hellos and goodbye waves.

I never felt the stimulation of
remembrance brought on by the
warmth of money and reading
words typed on newsprint.

And I never knew what it was like to race
out towards destiny - with people driving
like pinballs in an arcade - filled with sudden
accelerations through prescribed motions
that have the power to jolt you awake
and even kill you or tear you apart.

No, again, these twenty years have come
and gone so fast, and now a darkened sky swallows me
whole as I stand staring out into the horizon from
behind my window, watching it turn colors.

Watching what I had never been awake to see before.

(c) March, 1997, Steven H. Lee

This poem is also posted in The Writer's Corner at Epinions.com.