Everyday Adventures

Ode to the Sun

The sun rises
Over Delhi
And so too
Shall it rise
Over you.

Even when
Skies are gray
And full of dust
The sun will shine
It must.

So keep heart
My dear friends
Though you are far
Distance will never
Keep us apart.

I wrote this poem after an early morning trip for chai in Gurgaon, India, a suburb outside of Delhi. Though the journey for chai may seem quite ordinary, I experienced quite a world during my short walk to the chai stand. My most poignant experience was the sight of the magnificent orange sun rise over a thick cloud of dust and pollution. The sun hung suspended, as if by a string held by the hand of God, paying no mind to the filth it had to penetrate in order to rise.

The sun transformed from a deep red-orange to orange as it climbed the sky slowly and patiently to give life to those of us on Planet Earth. In this moment, I realized that if the sun could shine through one of the filthiest and most over-populated cities, anything I dream of is possible. And for me on that glorious morning, I was dreaming of my friends in the United States. The same sun that rose through the slums of Delhi would soon bear its gifts to locations everywhere in the world. We are united in the sun. The image of the sun on that day is forever imprinted on my heart.