In ancient Egypt,

Mesopotamia, and Greece

men would travel miles upon miles

to make a sacrifice

(some crops or a first born)

all in the hopes

of seeing a sun goddess:

their silken skin glistening,

like it’s made of gold

and divinity.

me?

I just have to take a trip downtown,

make a more contemporary sacrifice

of chai latte

and wonderful conversation

then just like that,

I experience my own sun goddess

for just a few precious hours:

Shinning bright enough

to make the sun look dim.

A sweetness big enough

to make skyscrapers look small.

A brilliance so luminescent

that I wonder if the evening light

journeyed from her eyes

before pouring out

onto the city’s sacred streets.

then just as beautifully,

just as swiftly,

the sun sets

and my goddess leaves

but I’ll only smile …

because my world will be that much brighter

for the next few days.