I wake up every morning before sunrise.
I stand facing east to see
the sun begins the day.
I hear the rooster’s cock-a-doodle-doo,
welcoming the sun at dawn.
The sun awakens from
its abode in the mountains.
I wait for the beautiful blend of warm hues—
red, orange, and yellow—radiating from the rising sun.
I open my eyes wide to draw
sunlight into my body.
The gentle warmth energizes me
and prepares me to face the challenges ahead.
The sun sits majestically in his
golden chariot driven by Aruna.
He begins his travel from east to west.
He transforms, his heat rising
from gentle warmth in the morning
to scorching fire at noon.
His rays are the secret ingredient
in the food that plants create.
He provides heat that awakens
cold-blooded animals.
His light makes vitamin D
when it falls on humans.
In the afternoon he calms,
and by evening he grows cool.
When the sun sets, the day takes flight,
painting the sky with vivid colors.
I face west to see his true colors
before he submerges into the ocean to bathe.
In that twilight zone everything appears serene.
When the sun disappears, night arrives.
Birds return to their nests,
and nocturnal animals come out to hunt.
Animals and humans who lived the day go to sleep,
and so does the sun—
to rise again the next day.
