Sun

In the dappled days of the houses
Long summers in the green glory of the wild long grass.
That was the Heaven and the Earth of it
The pierced blue of it
The memory baked into oblivion of it;
Where hours were ten a penny
And each minute went squandered into the light
Of the endless spendthrift mornings.

Deep in the secret lifetimes of the night
The first stirring of relentless sun
Crept upon cascades of dawn
Breaking the sky from moon to stars
To red awakening, long before childhood's eyes,
Long before breakfast chairs and tables,
Long before outside doorways and the start of play.
Longer even than the time that leapt
Stumbling in the infant heart as long as a daydream,
Longer than the arrow sunbeams stretched
End to end across the bedroom,
Across the play- and day-room floors
Where the dust specked shafts
Play shimmering in the heat
While outside, the sun, piercing the air beyond the sky
Above the houses, roofs and chimneys,
Puts its laughing light about
Not even yellow, as pure as daytime,
Unseen and as bright as seeing.
And the sun hangs forever in the sweeping blue
Like the wings of dreams
Waits for nothing at all
As we grow to meet it.