The Sunset - a poem by faith lininger

The Sunset

I love to watch the sunset.

Reds and oranges streak between the clouds. Blues and purple fade to black. Stars have just begun to show up in the inky darkness that will soon consume the sky.

I wish I could stop time at this moment, just staring at the sunset.

But I know it won't last.

Nothing lasts forever, after all. And why should it?

If this sunset lasted forever, then I'd never see anything different. I'd always see the same colors, the same pattern, the same clouds. I'd never see a full constellation in the sky. I'd never see the full moon again, or a sky with no moon, lit only by twinkling stars.

I'd only see the sunset.

Only this sunset.

Every sunset, every star, every night, every day... Is different. As it should be. As we should be.

If it all stayed the same, then the world would be pretty boring, wouldn't it? If we all did the exact same thing every day, with nothing to break up the repetition, we'd get bored. We'd fall asleep. We'd regret deciding to freeze time, and freeze life.

If I froze this sunset, if I froze this sky, I would get bored. I would yearn to see something different. I would want to go back. To unfreeze the sky, and let the sun dip below the horizon. I would want to see the stars. I would want to see the moon. I would want to see a blue sky again. I would want to see a storm again. I would want to dance through snow, and rain, and listen to the thunder and watch the lightning.

Because if I froze the sunset, if I stood in one place, if I did one thing, and only one thing... I would want to escape. To change. I would want to undo what was done.

And no longer would I love to watch the sun set.