The sunset was gorgeous those gathered agreed.
“The best in a long time! A wonder indeed!”
It bathed the whole valley in beautiful light
That turned the day’s end to a rich, golden sight.

The onlookers gazed at the cloud-mottled sky,
A canvas of colors too rich to deny.
They soaked up those last rays of sun with delight
And waited for purples and blues of the night.

“I can’t really see it. You’re blocking my view,”
Said one small observer who couldn’t see through.
The others around him were simply too tall
And kept him from seeing the sunset at all.

“Don’t worry, young sapling,” said one of the trees
As it swayed back and forth in the crisp autumn breeze.
“Some day you will join us, a tall, full-grown pine,
And then you will know what we find so divine.”

Author’s Note: My mom, Jeanie, took this photo near her house in Lincoln, California and emailed it to me. Since she’s a poet herself, I commented that the image begged for creative verse to go with it. We challenged each other to a 24-hour write-off to see where our minds would take us with this sunset as a starting place. This is what I came up with.