Solar Reckoning

Ascending the carved stone pedestal beside the ivy hedge, I reached the wide bronze plate of a garden sundial. The sun stood high overhead, casting a crisp, dark shadow from the triangular gnomon across the weathered metal dial. Kneeling beside the engraved Roman numeral for one, I placed my left hand against the warm, verdigris-tinted rim to steady my vantage. The shadow's edge aligned almost perfectly with the carved line, tracking Earth’s rotation through pure solar geometry. Without gears, wiring, or power cells, this simple human instrument maintains an unbroken rhythm with the cosmos. Watching time measured in steady light brings calm focus to my midday watch.