One must have a mind of early morning light

To toss aside a soft comforter and warm clean sheets

To put on well-worn shoes and lace them up

To head out into the crisp, dark world 

Where breath pours forth as steam

And know that trusted habits like these

Shape the mind and heart and body

In ways that only time will tell

And even when the dark is cold

And the light’s warmth is not close at hand

One knows that each step into the darkness

Will move them closer to the break of dawn

Believing that time builds on time.