Sun Worship

A poem that celebrates the life-giving energy of the sun.

This poem is part of the NaPoWriMo 2025 challenge to write a poem a day in April. This is the prompt for April 15.

The MC5 was a 1960s rock band. If you’ve heard anything by them–and you likely have–it’s their 1969 song Kick Out the Jams.

Jesse Crawford, otherwise known as Brother J.C. Crawford, was the band’s stage MC and warm-up man. Below are the words with which he opened a concert in Japan in 1969 (you can find the recording on Spotify/Apple Music as part of the Kick Out the James [Live] [Japan Remastered] album, on the track titled Intro/Ramblin’ Rose).

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And now for your prompt! While Brother J.C.’s warm-up and Kenyon’s poem might seem very different at first, they’re both informed by repetition, simple language, and they express enthusiasm. They have a sermon/prayer-like quality, and then end with a bang. Your challenge is to write a six-line poem that has these same qualities.

I was riddled with indecisiveness. I wrote eight poems on different subjects before I settled on this one. I decided I wanted to share joy instead of despair.

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See the light, my friends!
Feel the light breaking through the trees;
Let the golden sun-rays welcome you;
I want everyone to soak them in.
Can you feel joy in the dawn’s resurrection?
It’s time to rise!

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