"Tyrrhenian Sea and Solstice Sky" (2005), by Danilo Pivato
Click on image for larger version.
As a person who appreciates the power of sunshine I celebrate the Summer Solstice for exactly the same reasons I avoid all thought of the Winter Solstice. Yes, the days get shorter from here on out, but for today, we can be happy.
To The Sun-Dial, by John Quincy Adams
To The Sun-Dial
Thou silent herald of Time's silent flight!
Say, could'st thou speak, what warning voice were thine?
Shade, who canst only show how others shine!
Dark, sullen witness of resplendent light
In day's broad glare, and when the noontide bright
Of laughing fortune sheds the ray divine,
Thy ready favors cheer us--but decline
The clouds of morning and the gloom of night.
Yet are thy counsels faithful, just, and wise;
They bid us seize the moments as they pass--
Snatch the retrieveless sunbeam as it flies,
Nor lose one sand of life's revolving glass--
Aspiring still, with energy sublime,
By virtuous deeds to give eternity to Time.
