dusk to night

green and dry grasses drift behind the dark evening. trees blacken against the dusk. magenta hues scatter across the sky. water clings to your skin. wet shorts warm in the wind. wrinkled fingers climb over the metal rim. coldness rushes into hands. standing balanced on the metal beam you stare. the glassy water shimmers in surreal rolls. one foot steps out over. the illusion shatters. the water bursts in violent black and silver. warm breaks to cool and the night begins.

pressing your belly into the paddle you feel a smooth and forceful churn. behind you the bend of lake is whisped by spits of wind and gusts from the murky decay. on your left a pile of rotting cars lie crumpled in toy-like heaps. to the right a canyon wall decorated with rocks and shrubs rises vertically from the tan water. in the distance a yellow blot barely moves. paddles stir the lake in synchronized heaves. the sun sets behind the canyon walls. you can just make out magenta hues scattering across the sky.

a white tower with red crosses watches over the vast lands below. swirly trees in black brush the yellow landscape and fade into the haze. hot cement cools in the dusk. two lovers lay back on a car's hood. silent invisible kisses. the white tower stands witness. dusk wears on. the sun drifts behind the range beyond the valley. slow-motion flash. the sky lights up in thick yellow fire. mountains turn black. buildings twinkle. the tower is lit. the lovers illuminated. then the light is cut and the night begins.

two boys play in the snow. sliding between apple trees. dancing the season's cold ditty. sleds in hand they recur the same slope with vigor. the brisk wind whisks their cheeks. green blades from late Fall poke up through fresh-fallen white. the boys help one another climb the treacherous route to safety atop the slope. Woosh! one is gone. the second watches the first fly. stepping up to the edge he peers over. measures gradient. wind velocity. the other's a visible pinprick. no guts to muster. he places his tube on the snow. sitting down he shoves off the cliff. the light changes. darkness covers the sky. the two boys meet again. joining hands they climb back up the slopes to the house. cold breaks to warmth and the night begins.