Thumbing through my photographs,
I stumble upon a sunrise.
Its golden glow of hope
rises again within my heart.

Or was it, perhaps, a sunset?
Same golden glow –
but where’s the hope?
The tenor of my heart is changed.

Dawn is the hopeful twin.
My failures do not mar its surface.
My future of broken resolutions
are hidden over the horizon

Sunset’s gift is gratitude and grace.
Small deeds done and gifts received –
the good accomplished there is sealed and done.
The failures of tomorrow cannot mar it.

When I look to the future
I seem to focus on what I must do.
When I look to my past
I feel the community of love surround me.

Knowing my record with good intentions;
experiencing the unflagging gift of yesterday’s grace;
I wonder if the sunset
holds a more anchored hope, after all.

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[photo cropped from “sunset” by Nono Fara under cc 2.0]

[Response to a post by T. Wong at redgladiola]