East looking East
She is in the East, looking East,
as the world turns against
the principles of stability.
Knowing that a star’s light
sweeps the world’s surface
towards evening doesn’t halt
the arc of the sun as she sees it.
It goes against instinct to feel
she is wheeling in circles in space.
She knows the Earth tilts East,
23° from its vertical axis – as if
all uncertainty can be cleared
by knowing the angle of light
on her palm. She knows the reason
her days lengthen and shorten,
why her palms crease with shadows,
that space is only one mile up,
closer than the next town,
that the sun is nuclear.
Evening brings more chances
to recognise where she stands –
as the waters darken
and a clear sky leaves her
cold with stars.
Science Museum’s Dana Centre website, July 2008
