A Maritime Sunset

How does one describe
A marvel to another
Who has not seen
A sunset from the Maritimes?
It’s hard to say
Since they always change
And words cannot
Explain the beauty
Of a rainbow after it has rained
So to take a thing from nature
And reduce it to only words
Sitting flatly on a page
Is simply absurd.
Though I shall try and
Fail I might,
The effort alone
Is worth the fight.

When I look at the sky
The red hurts my eyes
The colours are brightly lit
Like Chinese lanterns
Wishing luck and
Colouring the entire sky –

No that sounds all wrong.
Writing this is harder than it seems.

The sun is a Cyclops eye
Unblinking and yellow.
Surrounded by red,
Bloody and great
It watches as the Cyclops
Slowly goes to sleep.
As nighttime falls
The eye once angry,
Now resting
The giant has fallen asl-

No.
I got it wrong.
That isn’t right.
The sun isn’t angry
Or frightful at it’s peak.
There’s a beauty
That leaves you silent.
You watch it unable to speak.
The colours change and vary
Every night.
I become silent.
No words come out.
Breathless. Wordless.
You must see it.
Not read it.
I tried.
To watch a sunset –
You must see it with your eyes.

-Gregory Santos