Us At Midday

Sunrise vs Sunset

There are two kinds of people.

"If you had to be either a sunrise or a sunset, which would you be?"

It was a lazy summer late afternoon and we were on our backs, laying on the swinging bed at my house.
Sometimes I forgot that you didn't live next door, to be honest, but you didn't live that far either.

There are sunrise people and there are sunset people.

You sat in thought, eyebrows scrunched up under your glasses, the way they usually do when you focused on something. "Sunrise," was your conclusion.
"Why?" I was always too curious.
"I prefer it. Like I prefer tea or hot chocolate to coffee."
My turn.

Sunrise people are the cheery ones, the generous ones with bright personalities.

"I'd be a sunset, I think."
"Why?" You were always too cheeky.
"I prefer it, like I prefer coffee or hot chocolate to tea." I made a face at the thought of herbal tea.

Sunset people are the gloomy ones, the selfish ones.

My leg leaned off the swinging bed, pushing us gently about, twisted into a braid of body parts.

It was funny because to other people, you were the sunset and I was the sunrise.
They had it all wrong.

I rested my head on your shoulder, smiling tiredly.

We were eclipses, polar opposites.

You shifted up, having me rest on your chest.

A sunrise dressed like dusk, and a sunset dressed as dawn.