It’s evening.
The dying rays of sun lace gold into the periwinkle of night,
Deepening in color and intensity until all light is swallowed.
You sit,
Perhaps a cat curled reassuringly over your lap,
Watching time run out.
You look at the clock.
Look at the slender hands inch around and around,
Time slows to a crawl.
Nearby, a pond stirs restlessly.
Fretful waves shiver under the dim moonlight,
Lilypads quiver as starlight hits,
And a group of birds take flight as the sun’s withering light fades.
They spiral like raindrops in a sea of tranquility,
A colossal, unified force that sprays black droplets over the violet canvas of twilight.
All are eager,
Tense,
Waiting
For passing time to show the break of a new dawn.
Twilight grows dark blue rivers,
Rivulets of shadow fuse with the glow of purple and pink and gold,
Infusing the silence of twilight with the gathering intensity of midnight.
You look up.
Your cat wiggles hopefully in your arms.
Passing time slows once more.
As the end of another year approaches,
Think,
For a moment,
Of what you’ve achieved,
Of what you’ve accomplished,
Of the challenges you’ve overcome.
Perhaps you recoil uncomfortably,
Recalling moments of embarrassment,
Failure.
Or perhaps your eyes deepen with shadow,
As memories of tragedy, sorrow, and unbearable grief paint violet into blood-red,
As the silence of twilight turns into screams of anguish.
Perhaps you lighten slightly,
As you think of moments of happiness, laughter, hope,
Golden rays shining through the darkness of night.
You exhale a sigh,
Stroking the cat,
And mull over the past as the minute hand ticks.
Outside,
Perhaps the pond too looks up,
Contemplating its year as stars paint the sky silver.
All around the world,
Silence falls and reflection begins.
An awe-inspiring, violet moment of tranquility,
A last moment of softness before midnight falls.
It’s quiet.
Gold sinks into indigo, then
The clock strikes midnight,
The water settles,
And twilight bleeds black and blue until dawn.
What a year it’s been.
What a dawn it will be.