The Setting of Suns ~ video poem

/ Ken Gierke / rivrvlogr

The Setting of Suns

Blue above, with edges and undersides
of pink shading to coral, the clouds above
freeway valley measure the passage of time.

A slice of a lifetime told in the sunsets
over this valley. With a voice
I’ve come to savor, musings reach me,

on the passage of time, of sunsets
across seasons, over the years.
Thoughts of daily routines, changed

now that he is alone; of memories held
in photos and letters, and the sun that set
on a lifetime of nearly a century; of a gift

that was his not through payment of a debt,
but through love and dedication.
That coral slowly fades as blue turns to gray,

and a poet’s soliloquy cannot
encompass all the thoughts
held in those clouds. A flute plays,

and fingers that could be writing
trace the joy and sorrow of those times.
In the end, a sigh tells it all.

This poem is for my friend Daniel Charles Thomas, whose uncertain future almost certainly holds a move from that place he calls home, which was his mother’s home for forty years. The view from Daniel’s window, looking out over what he fondly calls “Freeway Valley” in San Diego, provides some spectacular sunsets, and he has shared some of those with me over the years. His words and the clouds from his most recent video inspired this poem, and I used those clouds here, with his permission.

38 thoughts on “The Setting of Suns ~ video poem”

  2. Truly a beautiful write, reading and video.
    I especially like this line
    “a poet’s soliloquy cannot
    encompass all the thoughts
    held in those clouds.”
    I think your friend will be touched by this.
    Thank you for posting.

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  6. Awesome, awesome work Ken. As one who lives for those moments when (lacking the 2-3 feet of winter snow that accumulates out on the deck) I can spend a warm sunset eve out there with one of my favored Native flutes, playing the sun down to the horizon, I can truly relate to this work.

    Wonderful, wonderful wonderful.

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  7. This is beautiful–the poem that stands alone, and also your reading and the way you put it together on the video. (Well done!) I started to pick out favorite lines, but I think it’s the way the lines flow together as a whole that I like best. A lovely tribute for your friend.

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  10. A slice of a lifetime told in the sunsets
    over this valley – i love this image of a sharing between two friends over a space of time that now seems like nothing at all except for the photographic evidence. a really wonderful thing to write for a friend.

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  19. I have a neighbor, an elder vet (95) who still lives in his home. He does not want to give it up. Though no family is close he is lucky to have neighbors who have taken him in (keeping a watchful eye) as if he were a beloved Great Uncle. While his body fights, his mind stays sharp. Unlike others who fall to dementia an must have a closer watchful eye to make sure they continue to live as comfortable as possible.

    A lovely reading and tribute.

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