..~ cranberry jello ~.. v8.1 .. live the spotlight ..

one clear night

where did that streetlamp come from?, i thought as i slid open the glass door and glanced at the backyard, bathed in light. and then i realized it was the moon. my misconception was testimony to how long summer was in coming, and how long it'd been since i ventured outside to contemplate life at night. it really struck me how the moonlight poured onto the grassy lawn, stopping at the trees and telephone poles, leaving dark shadows on the ground. at midnight, the dew was already shining on top of blades of green, as if daring summer to come and stop it from appearing so early. a breeze rustled by and i shivered, reminded that summer was not full on yet. however, the wet, pungent smell in the air told me that it was coming.

someone passing by that night on friday the thirteenth would have wondered why a young woman huddled on a footstool, staring up at the sky, completely silent. that someone would have probably rushed home and carried on their business, not taking time to glance at the heavens and notice the tremendous sprinkling of glitter in the air. it was as if the summer wind had rose up and demanded that the stars wake up. in return, hundreds of pinpricks of lights blinked sleepily as they realized it was their time to shine.

i hadn't seen, nor bothered to look for such an enormous showing of stars since more than a year ago. in chicago, near the busiest airport in the nation, it's easy to forget what the sky looks like when it's not covered in smog and clouds. while sitting out there, enjoying the sound of wind and crickets and cars driving by in the distance, i --almost unconsciously-- turned my head toward the skies and concentrated on finding as many as possible. it was almost tiring, squinting at the velvety black night, trying to see three years into my memory to when i knew the names and locations of quite a few constellations. after a while, i was practically wishing the brilliant moon would go away so i could see more. in fact, it was tiring and soon i yawned and the night claimed me, reminding me that humans can't see in the dark for a reason, and sleep would be the natural thing to do. as i pulled the footstool back to where it had been left, i turned around and smiled. it wasn't that cold out there. tomorrow i'm bringing the hammock.