Sunset at Jekyll Island

Sunset at Jekyll Island on a Summer Night
By Victoria English

Famous for its marshes
Grassy plains into tidal pools
Ebb and flow, the eternal motion of the sea.
When filled with water, fish, wildlife
Gives way to dry land, absences of life, waiting
To thrive once again.

The day was stifling hot
As summer days always are
On this small barrier island in the Atlantic
Off the southeast Georgia coast.

So hot you can see it.
Heat haze hanging limply in the air
Like the Spanish moss trapped
Motionless on a windless day.

Evening comes with its promise
Of a respite from the unrelenting sun.
Yields control of the sky to the moon
And in its parting wake bids a fiery adieu
In a breathtaking spray of color
Hidden by the day.

Light bends into its prismatic colors
Transforming a pale blue sky to a deep cerulean hue,
Crimson, magenta, and amber,
Promenade across the clouds once white
And with that flourish bids good night.