8 minutes 20 seconds
On average it takes 8 minutes 20 seconds for light to travel between the sun and the earth.
At that very moment they look up into the sky
8 minutes and 20 seconds ago the journey had begun
The ray plays out its tale for all of them
Eyes stung by beads of sweat
The farmer squints into a cloudless sky
He smiles as once more he gazes on rows of sprouting new life
Oakley may dim her vision but she stirs
Beneath her towel sand has moulded to her sun-drenched form
Her fashionable hue is almost complete
He stumbles but struggles once more to his feet
How long has this desert ordeal endured?
The end beckons as searing heat prepares the feast
Shivering through winter in thin clothes and with an empty belly
Shafts of sunlight are rays of hope
A false dawn or a new beginning?
The newborn baby cries for attention
Her rosy skin has yellowed
But soon the status quo will be restored
Five lives touched at the same time
But not in the same way
8 minutes and 20 seconds ago it started again
Copyright © Simon Rogerson | Year Posted 2025
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