Planetary Poise

Sun above the equator,
night and day of equal length
everywhere on the planet
for two dancing days a year.
During the handing over,
this time around I feel
Summer kissing one cheek
and Autumn kissing the other.

But the tiny pause,
the flawless balancing,
oh Earth, we try, we do,
but it eludes
our hurrying species.
We’ve forgotten how
to be aimlessly here.
Today I must practice the hover.

In this reckoning and plenty,
I am unsentimental,
nurturing myself first.
I become selective with my gifts.
Autumn shows me my limits.
My patience snaps, I must reweave it.
This is time to save myself
for what matters.

Due East sunrise, due west sunset,
sun exactly overhead at noon,
and both the poles in daylight.
It’s a planetary presentation!
As members of the family,
we are meant to celebrate,
to leap or creak to our feet –
and keep steady, steady in balance.

©Susa Silvermarie 2026

At Earth’s poles the Sun stays near the horizon all day around equinox, marking the change between the half year polar night and polar day. The picture shows the South Pole right before March equinox, with the Sun appearing through refraction despite being still below the horizon.