On the Horizon
Cheryl Unruh
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
With the anniversary of statehood coming up on Monday, it’s time once again to reflect on what makes Kansas, Kansas.
And what Kansas is, is flat.
Oh, don’t yell at me, I know Kansas isn’t absolutely flat; there are bumps and bruises on that grassy skin of ours.
Yes, parts of the state actually have roads that go up and down as opposed to the directions we’re most used to driving: North, east, south and west. Despite the rolling hills, you have to admit there is a pleasing smoothness to the state.
While the stark landscape alarms visitors, we Kansans are pleased to gaze toward the west and see nothing but that steady line in the distance. And on occasion we find ourselves thinking that the setting sun is like the centered bubble on a carpenter’s level.
In Kansas, we can look in any direction and find that balanced line. In fact, the horizon forms a big hoop — this straight line encircles us.
The flatness of landscape lets our eyes aim for distance. When we’re out on the plains, we can see five, 10, maybe 15 miles ahead.
While driving during daylight, we view the contours of the earth, the soft hills, the valleys. But in the low light of dusk, the topography seems to level out.
At twilight, the rounded shapes flatten and the view becomes an abstract painting: a heavy slab of straight earth, a swath of darkening sky and that horizontal line between them.
I love the Kansas horizon — the simple, clean line that defines the heavens and the earth. It’s a narrow line, as thin as a guitar string.
Now you’d think, wouldn’t you, that the horizon would be a bold, thick, Magic Marker of a line, one that, in effect, says, “Warning: The earth stops here! Take one more step and you’re a goner!”
And perhaps, posted at the end of the earth, there is a sign announcing that danger.
But hey, none of us have been to the edge of the planet. I’ve driven fast, I’ve driven far, but I’ve never reached that narrow line. The horizon is a mythical place, a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
But if I ever did stumble upon the horizon, I would lie flat on my stomach, my face hanging over the edge of buffalo grass and I’d peek into the blackness where stars are used as stepping stones.
Kansas is flat; the earth is round — a contradiction of shapes.
Now we’ve known about the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria ever since second grade; our minds have always had to reconcile the level land with a round planet.
It may be a sphere, but our planet does have edges — beyond which the sun appears and disappears.
Our sun rises like a waking cat, sleepy eyed, unhurried. With a show of creamy blues, Easter pinks and blinding yellows, the sun finally stretches its long light across the eastern sky.
But in the evening, the Kansas sun does not go quietly into that dark night. It crosses the finish line in a fiery battle, shooting flares as if it’s going down for the very last time.
It flings color into the sky and onto the clouds — a kaleidoscope of scarlet, tangerine and lavender.
You train your eyes for subtle changes, afraid to glance away lest you miss the coral-to-crimson moment.
Before you’re ready to let go, the colors fade, the sky empties. Dark falls. And we sleep in the shadow of the earth.
We plainsmen are given free admission to these light shows which are not seen by people who live in the mountains, forests, and cities.
We are the lucky ones, for every day our eyes rest naturally upon that horizon, that thin line of magic that holds together the heavens and the earth.
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net.
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Posted by bharz (anonymous) on January 29, 2008 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Beautiful stuff, Cheryl. Thank you.
V/R,
Brad Harzman
Post a comment
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. Our goal with this feature is to encourage thoughtful discussions about the news stories. Using the comment feature to make random attacks on people is not acceptable. Emporiagazette.com neither endorses nor guarantees the accuracy of any user contribution. Responsibility for what is posted or contributed to this site is the sole responsibility of each user. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
(Requires free registration.)