March Slice of Life No. 18.
So the evening and the morning were . . .
And God saw that it was good. –Gen. 1
twilight
diffused-light
candle between
sun and moon and sun
daybreak to sunrise, sunset to nightfall
stars hide and return, sun rises and sets
slowly unfolding my days and nights
softening the harshness of life
tucking in, throwing off
my vision will adjust
my heart will calm
my mind will relax
warm glow
twilight
thank you, God, for
twilight
for an ending
and a beginning
to each day, each night
you knew I’d need a time
to let go, to embrace
to ease into change
with rising to setting
from day to night
from night to day
from east to west
from life to death
twilight
© 2018 Alice Nine
Writing about my writing
As spring approaches, here in the northern hemisphere, just past the 45th parallel north, the day is beginning to grow longer. Today I was thinking of summer, how the evenings are long and lazy, how twilight lingers. I so enjoy the twilight hours–at the beginning and ending of each day.
I thought about twilight in Ecuador, just miles from the equator. I remember my son telling me to hurry to join him on the rooftop to see the sunset. He told me if I didn’t hurry it would be over. There the sun sets so quickly. Twilight lasts about 20 minutes, and darkness falls. Day in and day out, all year long. Not so here. We enjoy a little less than two hours of twilight in the summer.
So, thinking these thoughts today, I wrote “Twilight.”
Photo: Sunset over the Pacific, taken during our family week at the Oregon coast.
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Beautiful. I love the form! ~JudyK
Your poem is beautiful, and I loved how the form mimics the sun sinking into the water and the reflection spreading out across the ocean below the horizon line. I found myself calming and breathing more slowly while I read your reflective poem and slice.
Alice, what an encompassing slice! You so eloquently transcribe the duty and privilege of the rising and setting sun. “you knew I’d need a time
to let go, to embrace
to ease into change”
Beautiful. Full of emotion. Gracefully and thoughtfully written. Stunning work. Thank you.
Alice,
such great lines and shape!
Thanks for such a beautiful poetry slice!
Thank you, Fran. 🙂
There is something very spiritual about that twilight time of day and here you’ve mixed nature with spirit so, so well.
Thank you, Vanessa. 🙂
This poem is lovely, Alice, as is the photo and the shape that you created for your poem.
Thank you, Carol. 🙂
Twilight is a nice quiet time to sit and reflect on the day. I, too, have never given any thought to the time difference until you mentioned it. thanks for the information.
Check it out, Bob. It wasn’t until I experienced it that I learned about it. I’ve read more about it since then. Very interesting. I think I appreciate the changes in twilight from season to season more now.
I never considered the difference in “twilight time” dependent on location, until this post. Your poem captures it beautifully, and the facts following gave me pause to consider them. So often, on workdays, I’ve been working sunup to sundown, literally, so I am paying attention to my driving more than the sky. You’ve given me some homework for next weekend!
I don’t know if it is because I have flown so much for so many years, but when I go outside, my eyes go to the skies. They are ever-changing. Always beautiful.
Evening twilight is one of my favorite times. I love the light… it is a special and different glow. I remember it most from my time in Lima, Peru. We lived on the 10th floor and looking out the window as the light washed over the city filled me with peace.
Sounds beautiful, Diane. I think I snap pictures of sunrise and sunset more than anything else… and the picture doesn’t capture the essence of it.
What a beautiful poem! Twilight speaks to me as well. It’s such a magical time. Your poem evoked a wonderful sense of serenity and marvel.
Thanks, Molly. I didn’t include the sounds of twilight… I think that they are part of the magic, too.
The shape of this poem really echoes the sounds and the subject. It’s eye-catching and memorable. The use of repetition also works here to reflect the cyclical nature and the lingering you mention in your writing about writing. As always, I love the photograph and am inspired by your writing about writing. Thank you for this beautiful piece.
Thanks for noticing, Amanda. I wanted to write of a beginning and an ending and yet keep it cyclical — without ending or beginning.
I was driving yesterday during a long twilight and thinking about the softening, warm and shifting light of the gloaming twixt light and dark. Thank you for your slice.
Oh, nice words — “gloaming” and “twixt”!! Gloaming traces back to OE meaning “to glow.” Twixt (betwixt) is from the same root as twilight (also: two, twin, twice, twenty) with the basic meaning “two.” This calls for some revision. Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing!
Oh, the shape. The shape forms a visual image and the words paint the details. Twilight and sunrise are such wonderful times.
Thank you so much for sharing, Susan.
Seeing a beautiful twilight sky or a gorgeous sunset never gets old. The words about endings in your poem are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome, and I am so glad you came by today, Cara.
Your beautiful lines are so full of gratitude; they impart such peace.
Ah, thanks, Fran!
I never knew that about Ecuador. I am intrigued!
More importantly your poem is moving. I admire the tone, the shape, and the simplicity – yet the depth – of the poem.
Just another note – One of the reasons I love true weekend is because I can linger in a sunrise. Truly a work of God.
Thanks for sharing, Christine. I agree, truly a work of God.
Beautifully written and just captures twilight so perfectly. I live in India most of the time and the sun just drops like a stone behind the hills or into the sea here, no such thing as twilight. In the UK the summer evenings go on forever with daylight saving, about the only thing I miss about there…! I also love it that Ecuador means equator, to my knowledge no other place is named after a geographical feature? No Latitude or Longitude or Hemisphere…?!
Thank you for coming by today and sharing. I’ve never thought about the name of a place having geographical significance. Of course, aside from river, mountain, lake, etc. Hummm?
This is beautiful. I especially like the visual the lines create.
Thank you for noticing the shape. 🙂
Gorgeous image and lines about the light. I live in Singapore now and like Ecuador we are close to the equator. Our days are twelve hours long and there is not much gloaming time or twilight when the sun sets. Such a designer, our God.
“Gloaming” … a great word; I should have included it. Yes, I find myself in awe of His design.
I, too, love twilight and the transition from day to night. It’s usually a more peaceful time of day, with most of the day’s work done and a settling down of the soul as night comes. Your poems are beautiful. I found the bit about Ecuador so fascinating:It’s something I never thought about. Does your son live there?
It was so unusual to experience a nearly equally divided day and night with about 20 minutes of twilight. It goes quickly from full daylight to full darkness to full daylight. Yes, my son and his family live in Ecuador. I was visiting him during March last year and wrote my first two weeks of slices from there.