I Saw the Sun Today

At seventy-seven degrees north latitude
Around thirty-five thousand feet altitude
Above the icy surface of Canada's Nunavut Territory

It was an orange ball floating on the southern horizon
Throwing shafts of eerie light through the 747's windows
Revealing, where it touched the passengers,
Dazed and dozing orange and yellow faces
Struggling through the eleven-hour flight
From Frankfurt to San Francisco

Strong headwinds on the regular path
Caused this detour over Greenland and northern Canada,
Turning the plane southward as we near the west coast
Thence over Vancouver down to the City by the Bay—
A big upside-down "U" over this quadrant of the northern hemisphere

Bent double to glance out the tiny rear door window
To see the source of this strange light
I looked below the horizon, as well
And as I scanned the remaining veins of water
Separating the growing ice sheets below me
A sudden yearning welled up in me
For Alaska, my home for eight winters, having left twelve years ago

The always slanting sunlight
The land's raw beauty in ever-changing relief,
The dangerous and unforgiving rivers, lakes and tundra,
The ever-frozen mountain peaks,
The greenest green and fragrant bushes in the late spring,
The endless summer days and winter nights,
The myriad bright flowers as fall approaches—
All and more still reside in my soul

This headwind was a fair wind
To arouse such memories

11/10/2007

Posted on 11/10/2007
Copyright © 2026 Ronald A Pavellas