From the center of our solar system
The sun casts light out to every corner of the universe.

We celebrate the light,
  and remark on its changes
In our calendars and almanacs
  as eclipses, equinoxes, and solstices
In our paintings and literature
  as epiphanies. 

To the sun credit is commonly given
for all life on earth,

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Above the clouds,
airplanes cast civilized shadows.
Above the earth,
clouds make shadow puppets on civilization.

Above the planes, above the sky,
The weight of the universe crouches
in shadow. 

_________

At the center of the Earth
a liquid iron heart glows unseen,
warmly illuminating

Nothing

Its only shadow,
a geomagnetic field,
silently protecting
all life on earth

from the sun.