Twilight: n. 1: The light from the sky between full
night and sunrise or between sunset and full night. 2: A state
of imperfect clarity.
There is a power, a mystery in twilight. It's a
magical time. As the longer warmer days approach us, we have a
prolonged twilight, and with warmer nights we can step out and
enjoy it more. We can kick back and watch as the stars slowly
appear. We see more of the majesty of the sky then we do during
the day, despite the warmth and pleasure the sun gives us. How
many of us have lain on our backs in the grass and watched the
Milky Way for meters or satellites, or sat by a campfire and listened
as the frogs slowly started up their chorus?
In the city, where there is too much light to see the stars, there
is the same twilight magic. I've always enjoyed going out to a
movie with friends just after sunset. The sky still glows. The
pavement is still warm from the day. If we're going to a hit summer
blockbuster we stand in line with many other people, all gathering
for an evening of entertainment.
I suppose it's much like it always has been throughout history.
With twilight comes the gathering of people. It's a social time
for sharing of the day's events, for telling stories, for entertaining,
or fending off the mysteries of the night. We have many modern
day tales to entertain us. Star Wars had some great twilight scenes.
The more magical moments of E.T. took place in the twilight. Twilight
is far from the settling in and fading of the day. It's the beginning
of the power of imagination.
Imagination does run wild. When I was a child I had a friend who
stayed with us too long. He was about 9 years old at the time.
The sun had set and it was dark. He didn't want to go home alone.
My brother used the power of his imagination to get him home safely.
He lent him a broken BB gun. "Here," he said. "This
is a monster gun. You see a monster you just blast it." My
friend made it home without any difficulty. Perhaps it took him
a little longer to get home then it should have. He was enjoying
the power he had, blasting his imaginary fiends.
Now days I enjoy letting my imagination run wild. I'm always fastinated
to find that the night sky is actually brighter then the dark
trees framing it. The sky seems to be coming alive. Our imagination
would say it is a silent night, though there are plenty of things
to hear. Frogs, dogs, kids playing, even traffic noise, or jets
overhead, have their magic.
On the other side of night is another magic moment. We don't see
much of it unless we are morning people. Twilight before dawn
is as fascinating as evening. In many of my college night walks
I would be there to hear the first bird chirp. Slowly the stars
would fade from the sky the birds would fill the morning with
song. Once, I found a bluff that overlooked the East. I sat and
listened to the birds as I watched the sky glow over the Cascade
Mountains. Eventually the horizon cracked; the brilliant orange
Sun rose into the sky, promising another hot summer day.
"Oh brave Helios, wake up you steeds.
Bring the warmth the countryside needs."
--The Mood Blues--
