Haibun: Summer Solstice

For my prompt at Real Toads – celebrating solstice

Haibun: Summer Solstice
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.”
― Maud Hart Lovelace,

The day dawned hot and clear. I watched the sun rising through the trees scattering its golden rays like a profligate gardener sewing golden seeds. The birds were waking up and their song was loud and clear – like a band of flutes. The dew sparkled on the grass. A steady stream of bees went back and forth to their hive -so busy so early in the morning. The sky was clear and cloudless on this first day of summer. I sat on my back steps and drank espresso. Such a glorious day. I think I will walk down to the creek and listen to the water burbling along on the rocks. Or maybe I will climb my tree. I smiled. So many choices on such a glorious day!
summer solstice day –
the air smells like flowers –
a dragonfly drifts

 

Summer Solstice Facts

The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words sol “Sun” and stitium “standing.” On the summer solstice, the Sun’s path stops advancing northward each day and “stands” still.

The kind of energy the Sun emits most strongly is not ultraviolet, or gamma rays, or even visible light—it’s actually infra-The June solstice is when folks in the Northern Hemisphere see the highest Sun of the year. But did you know that the Sun’s highest point is getting lower and lower over time? That’s because Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing.red. That’s the Sun’s strongest emission, which is the kind we feel as heat.

The June solstice is when folks in the Northern Hemisphere see the highest Sun of the year. But did you know that the Sun’s highest point is getting lower and lower over time? That’s because Earth’s tilt is slowly decreasing.