. . they’re free and frequent . .
. . and fleeting . . 
.. 
. . they make us look again at everyday sights .. 
..
Hermits and honeymooners ooh and aah. New Agers and Hockey Moms love them. Cranky Curmudgeons, too. Even when prices are high and politicians low.
Yes, I’m grateful our species got a gene that almost always enjoys another sunset. Perhaps, that gene evolved and was naturally selected back when life was rather brutal and short, because those of our early ancestors who looked forward to sunsets had more motivation to survive for another day, were more fun to be around, and tended to attract mates.
Naturally, I’m also thankful that such wonders appear so often at the end of my block — and that digital technology lets me view and then share them with virtually no fuss or expense.
(above photos taken September 25, 2008, photos below were taken September. 27, 2008S, Schenectady Stockade, Riverside Park, by d.a.giacalone; click to enlarge)
– for many more sunset pictures from Schenectady, see my photoblog suns along the Mohawk –
Two centuries ago, half a world away from my Schenectady sunset, an itinerant Japanese poet loved his sunsets, too. These should tide us over until 7 PM tonight.
sunset– 
the town is buzzing
with dragonflies
the mountain sunset
within my grasp…
spring butterfly
the woodpecker too
engulfed in sunset…
autumn colors
waiting and waiting
for sunset…
the willow tree
at my feet 
sunset’s rays, autumn
mountain
not shrinking back
from the sunset…
wildflowers
a plowman facing
sunset…
Mount Tsukuba
sunset–
a ruckus of cherry blossoms
a ruckus of trout
sunset–
an assembly of kites
in the sky over the town
…… by Kobayashi Issa, translated by David G. Lanoue
… Below the Fold: sunset through the eyes of a dozen contemporary haijin, a/k/a f/k/a‘s Honored Guest Poets:
red dragonfly
redder still
this sunset
… by W.F. Owen – tinywords (May 6, 2005)
footbridge
pink clouds
between the boulders
…….. by Yu Chang – from Upstate Dim Sum
country stop sign–
the pink glow of sunset
through .22 holes
…………. by Lee Gurga from Fresh Scent (Brooks Books, 1998)
breathing space—
the deepening pink
of alpenglow
………… by Billie Wilson – The Haiku Society of America Newsletter XIX:1 (2004)
after sunset . . .
the shapes
of the clouds
…. by Hilary Tann – (Museum of Haiku Literature Award, from Frogpond XXVIII:3)
winter sunset
buttoning mother’s coat
up to her chin
…………… by Carolyn Hall – Frogpond XXVIII: 3
summer sunset—
baby finds his shadow
on the kitchen wall
… by Lee Gurga – from Fresh Scent; 1st place, 1990 Manichi Daily News Haiku Contest
winter sunset—
the art museum shimmers
on the river
… by Barry George – Frogpond XXVIII:3
Sting of the wind–
icy evergreen needles
glinting in winter sunset
…. by Rebecca Lilly – Shadwell Hills (Birch Brook Press, 2002)
lit by the sunset
waves along the shore
rolling the seal’s body
…. by Michael Dylan Welch – from Open Window
. . .
Seattle sunset
Ichiro sends one
toward the Sea of Japan
… by Ed Markowski – The Old BallGame (April 2006)
waking too late
for dawn
– he pencils-in sunset
.. by dagosan