Sunset’s Song

Listening to a Sunset

Reds, oranges, and yellows play a diminished chord across the sky,

the blue note signals goodbye (to the day, to thoughts, to worries).

A mockingbird chirps goodnight

A brown bat squeals with delight

Shadows play a legato refrain,

As the fading sun makes space

for the moon to play

I like to listen to nature. I hear the sunset as a kind of musical interlude between day and night. Maybe it’s a blues.

Last night, storms were blowing in off the coast creating an epic sunset with deep colors of red, orange, and pink. The colors of the sky were playing a chord full of tension. A clear sky ready to burst into storm.

As I went outside to collect the mail, a mockingbird protecting it’s nest in the sago palm next to the mailbox, chirped loudly at me. His was a song of warning. Letting me know to stay back, or else.

Heading back into the house a brown bat swerved and swooped overhead with an urgent squeal of its own. Finding dinner, finding it’s way into the night.

The chirps of the bird and squeals of the bat felt like two improvising musicians, taking turns, creating melodies against the backdrop of the sky’s progression from day to night.

I followed my lengthening shadow into the house, safe from the tricky waltz the moon was ready to play with the wind and rain.

This poem is written in response to Sahil Patel’s Serene Sunset nature prompt.

I so enjoyed listening to Shubha Apte’s forest

And the attentiveness of arun’s beautiful forest experience

Thanks for reading!