Night

There’s night of many different feelings and kinds. Here is one. The frame is three into one, being a bay window looking out. A centre view and views to the left and the right.

To the left looking up, a moon, not full, with some softly illumined, glowing cloud fluff to rest in. Yes, I know, that’s not what the moon is doing but I like the feel of this. I could rest into cloud fluff.

I don’t know how to sketch the moon on cloud fluff, but then I found this awesome image posted by an old and beloved friend on their Instagram account. So this feels right, a patch I’ve borrowed from her stories to sew on to one of mine…

(Image credit: fatladysingstheblues )

Front and centre, sky, dark but not pitch black. No stars visible. There’s a material fullness to it. It’s more than a colour.

To the right, the twinkling, flashing lights of a plane, flying away from this frame.

Flash white.

Flash red.

Flash white.

Flash red.

Steady and rhythmic. Becoming less visible and soon invisible, sort of swallowed up by night sky.

(The sun streams in as I draw night by day. By memory.)

Right in front, level with eye height, are tree tops and trees fronting a park. Somewhere at the back, on the other side of the park, some flats. A few windows have lights.

The background audio is night birds. Lapwings. This is beautiful and quite dramatic. There’s a breeze growing stronger. Can’t be heard through the glass, but is visible by the effect on the trees. Wind blowing through the trees. This is familiar. A strong wind. So the branches should, as they say, wave.

These branches actually do not wave.

They bounce up and down.

This makes me grin.

These branches are bouncing up and down with an excitement I can feel through the glass. A bit like a happy drunk dancing a bhangra at a wedding. There is a lot of left and right along with the up and down. Nobody told me this. Trees bounce. If a human being did this the way they do Downward Dog it would become a branded spiritual energiser.

Trees laugh.

The top branches start. They make giant circular waving movements with that bounce to it. What is this wind? Is it going to storm?

Up in the sky, at centre frame, another plane is flying into invisibility. This one flashes three lights, left to right. White. Then red. Then white. Repeat.

There is a deepness to the night, moon, clouds, trees and breeze. Its chatter and conversation. Bird calls and bouncing. Pyjama party, a gathering of aunts and cousins and the children won’t go to bed.