The sunset light is
lovely beyond limit
only it brings close
the coming dark

Li Shangyin wrote it
succinctly and well
twenty short words
tell of an evening's outing
the sun's last rays
turning the hills to gold
a moment of pure ecstacy
and then
the thought of just how soon
the darkness follows
now that I harbor
my own sunset thoughts
the poet's words
have found me where I live
the light of these spring skies
all the more precious
at evening when the sun
dapples the hills
and catches clouds
that fade from pink to grey
it's all that I can do
to catch my breath
remembering the wonders
of the day