The Second Sunrise

There are numerous sayings and wise words espousing the benefits of rising early to greet the day:

• "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." - Benjamin Franklin
• "The early bird catches the worm." - unknown
• "Lose an hour in the morning, and you will be all day hunting for it." - Richard Whately
• “It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”
  - Aristotle
• “I never knew a man come to greatness or eminence who lay abed late in the morning.”
  - Johnathan Swift
• “Life is too short,” she panicked, “I want more.” He nodded slowly, “Wake up earlier.”
  - Dr. SunWolf
• “The sun has not caught me in bed in fifty years.”
  - Thomas Jefferson
• “The difference between rising at five and seven o’clock in the morning, for forty years, supposing a man to go to bed at the same hour at night, is nearly equivalent to the addition of ten years to a man’s life.”
  - Philip Doddridge

I have never been one for going to bed early but generally, I rise reasonably early, during Summer anyway. My inbuilt timer always seems to wake me whenever I am required to wake earlier than usual and as a back-up, I have a number of living alarm clocks that wake me on the dot of 7 am each morning. The dogs want to be taken outside and the cats demand feeding.

At our previous house, the bedroom window faced east so the rising sun would wake me every morning to the beautiful colour pallet it made in the sky, but our current bedroom faces the south so that is no longer the case. Most mornings, now, after feeding the animals I go back to bed for another hour or so, especially when it's cold.

I often wish our creator in his infinite wisdom had decided to bless each day with a second sunrise so late risers like me could still enjoy and marvel at the spectacle. To make up for missing the sunrise I try to ensure I take time to admire the wonderful and even more spectacular sunset in the evening, but it isn't the same.

The sunrise wakes the sleeping world,

Creatures stir from slumber,

Birds sing and roosters crow

As the sun peeks above the horizon.

Humans are a lazy lot,

Our instincts long since lost.

Most don’t rise to meet the Sun,

To comfort we are bound.

We‘ll set our artificial alarms

Our phones, tablets, and clocks.

Then hit the snooze repeatedly

Until the time is up.

We rise and staggering half asleep,

To shower, to dress, and eat.

Check emails and SMS,

Then off to work we trek.

The beauty of our natural world

So often goes ignored.

Something that we should hold in awe

Simply passes by.

Oh, how I wish that everyday

The sun rose a second time,

So, it’s sublime beauty could be admired

By lazy human kind.

Firstly, I’d like to thank Eric Dierker for naming this series “Off the Shelf”, in one of his comments. That name suits perfectly because this series of poems/articles are all inspired by the titles of novels in my bookshelves at home.

This time it is ”The Second Sunrise” by Geoff Pike. With 614 pages, to call this book an epic is an understatement. In the tradition of James A Michener this work of fiction offers a wonderful insight into some of the history of Hong Kong and indirectly, China. The characters are unforgettable and the action and drama exciting.

"It began among the mighty rivers and murderous pirate fleets of the South China Coast. One bid for greatness in the richest and most dangerous game on earth - the China Trade. From the opium taverns, gambling dens and bordellos of Macau's violent waterfront to the decadence of Shanghai in the1920s, Ben Deverill chases his father's stolen dream."

I would honestly say this is probably the favourite book in my collection. There is also a sequel called ”Tiger Dawn” which I may use at a latter date.