The sun drops, dipping its toes into darkness. The sun is an artist, the sky his canvas, the light his paint. The artist changes his palate. Orange and yellow give way to pink and peach. He paints the clouds mango and the landscape ruby.
Opposite the sunset, the sky darkens, neglected by the painter. The atmosphere is a gradient of light and darkness, orange and navy. Almost as if the sun is letting its canvas be erased, the darkness advances.
Long shadows fill the forest. Darkness overtakes where the sun’s brush cannot reach. Dark places aren’t seen, felt, smelled, or heard; only darkness is present. Lit spots shine vibrant colors, painted by the artist. Dark spots are just empty spaces, uncolored by light.
The sun falls out of view, signaling the end of day and the beginning of night. The sky is navy blue. The moon and stars are the only painters now. They paint only in silver, creating gloomy portraits. The gloominess gives a sense of relaxation that doesn’t come in the daylight hours. It forces a yawn and makes my eyes grow heavy with sleep.
I walk back to dorm in peace.
~ Peter Ellis
