The skies are purple as can be. The top layer is a very dark shade of purple, almost blue but definitely purple, something I know as a result of looking at the entire sky rather than this ribbon of it in isolation. A cloudy, marshmallowy, thick white color briefly interrupts the dark purple, but it is barely noticeable. The clouds emerge more between this ribbon of sky and the next, forming a zig-zag line of thick, white, marshmallowy cloud. The next ribbon is slightly smaller in length, for it is interrupted by a triangle of sunny sky that begins on the left of the second ribbon and gradually expands to the point where it constitutes more than half of the final ribbon. However, the second ribbon is a mixture. There is clearly a presence of the brilliant purple that will emerge later, but it is overshadowed by the dark purple from above that sometimes comes to interrupt it. What can be seen below the sky is a shocking yet appropriate contrast to the quiet and serene sky. Maybe it would be worse of the scene below was total chaos, but it’s not so it isn’t. Instead, there are just a few people- maybe a couple of kids, perhaps an adult- going about whatever they see fit. They are not directly acknowledging the magnificent sky above them, but they certainly aren’t unaware of it. The people are surrounded by man-made objects: a trashcan, a couple tables with benches surrounding them, some ugly white fencing far off in the distance. On the opposite end, there appears to be an ordinary building which seems to function as a bathroom. The people and objects are surrounded by an overbearing flora- some huge trees that in one spot actually seem to touch the sky. But the people, objects, and even the flora, undoubtedly mean nothing compared to the sky. After the second ribbon, the sky becomes quite confusing. The brilliant purple is certainly still to come, but it has not quite emerged yet. To the left, closer to the sunny triangle of light, the third ribbon seems to take on the very dark purple from before. However, in the middle, there is a patch of sun and sky and cloud, which gives way to the “brilliant” purple I have to describe that fully forms to the southeast of this patch. However, the right of the third ribbon is simply madness. It is almost a grey purple- it completely lacks the brilliance that is bursting through below. It is almost a dulled down, less magnificent version of the dark purple we started with. The third ribbon is quite white, and clouds interrupt it on multiple negligible occasions. However, it means nothing compared to the fourth ribbon of sky, which is what truly gives this sky and the photograph of it so much meaning. On the left, the triangular portion of the sky that is still white is disrupted by a congested spot of purple thickness that the light sky makes ugly. However, the light triangle still only makes up about a quarter of the sky and brilliance now occurs. The light gives way to a brilliant, bright purple, that is almost too shocking to fully absorb. It shoots upward into the fourth ribbon, and though it constitutes such a small portion of this image, it defines it. It is so priceless, yet so worthless, and it is almost intangible due to its lack of consistency. On the right, it is finished by an ugly patch of grey cloud, something thick and saturated. This is where the sky’s magical beauty ends and realisticality begins. The fifth ribbon of the sky is tiny- the light, triangular portion on the left has so expanded by the final ribbon that it takes up more than half the sky. On the other side, the final ribbon is blocked by the highest trees, the ones that tickle the sky with their dark green furry leaves. The light on the left is so brilliant at one point that it touches the sky and forms a tiny path of orange, that becomes a nice but overly agreeable pink to finish off the beautiful sky. This sky sounds magnificent, as if it occurs in the most beautiful or noticeable place on earth. This is not the case. The people below- while experiencing something special for various reasons- are ordinary people enjoying an ordinary, yet upbeat life. The trees and buildings and tables and benches and trashcans and fences that are so hard to see due to the shocking sky are in truth, their reality, while the sky is just a fantastical remnant of the beautiful day that has occurred. A pole far off in the distance gives off a bright green light that seems to be in the middle of the tree. Unnatural light. Shit. The unnatural light, while not an inherent problem, seems to take away from the brilliant natural light that should dominate the scene. This unnatural light is more tangible, more real to the rushed busybody with his or her eyes only half-open. However, the other individual- the individuals appreciative of beauty- will ignore the unnatural light, recognizing it only as the man-made interruption of beauty it is. He or she will instead stare at the beautiful, purple sky that is starting to fade. This light is harder to understand than the green light and certainly harder to use to guide one’s way. But since such beauty can occur in such a normal setting, the individual who uses the sky to guide his or her way is the one who achieves the most fulfillment that evening. This individual has a sense of purpose and knows not to shy away from a challenge because the experience will be more rewarding in the end. Nature wins.
(Please click on the picture, the bigger version does it much more justice).
spencerblair619 