Riding the Roller Coaster in Space
A reflection on Earth's path around the sun, in poetry and prose
We’re on a roller coaster, and we’ve just reached the highest point on the winding track. The ride pauses for just a moment, and then “whoosh” our little car comes racing down from the top, wind whipping through our hair. This ride is longer than any other we’ve been on. It will take six months to reach the bottom, and by then, we’ll have nearly forgotten that heart stopping view from the top, that time when our panoramic view gave us chills.
The regular, changing flow of daylight to dark and back again feels like a ride on this roller coaster. When Summer Solstice hits, days in Northern California are long and luxurious. I rise at 5 a.m. and see the sun rising. I go to bed after 8 p.m. and its rays continue hitting the Earth, albeit more obliquely than at mid-day. Time will pass, June will become July and we’ll march onward toward December. Days will shorten, nights will lengthen. The roller coaster car will reach its nadir and the long, luxurious days of summer will be forgotten.
The cool morning air invites
Gone are the long nights
The dawn chorus is awake
Slow down and partake
Enjoying wildlife industry
So much activity
Before the sultry air
Settles to impair
The coolness of this hour
Sitting in nature's bower
Sun rises early now
For those early risers, wow!
But worth striving
To see the solstice arriving
I'm watching too much CNN
I thought the ride was the breaking news
I wish there was a six-month lull
And a future with better views