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Does this happen to you?
I stumbled across a line in a poem that sounded like a beautiful strike line for a golden shovel.
And then I read a question in a blog post (sorry, I didn’t make note of which one) and decided these two musings needed to be together in a poem.
Question:
What does evening look like where you live?
Strike line:
the most beautiful sight
the dark earth offers
(click on the line to read “The Anactoria Poem” by Sappho)
Alpenglow
Mountains glow rose above the
east shore, preening in sunset’s mirror, most
likely to be runner-up to a beautiful
western sunset. But the sight
of that disc drowning in the
ocean, that green flash in the dark
doesn’t hold a candle to alpenglow’s earth
–her painted peaks, her pastel skies– all she offers.
photos and poem
©2024 Patricia J. Franz
Where we live, the mountains range 9000-11,000 feet. Our back deck faces west. But we sit close enough to those mountains that we don’t typically see a big sunset.
But, do you know about alpenglow? On many a wispy-cloud twilight, the mountains to the east across Lake Tahoe, are a pastel painting washed in dreamy pink, peach, mauve, lavender, and the remains of periwinkle skies.
What does evening look like where you live?
What is the most beautiful sight the dark earth offers?
Patricia Franz writes picture books and poetry. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
What lovely photos and words, Patricia. The alpenglow reminds me of many of the sunsets we get here in Chester County where pinks and blues take center stage.
These sky portraits are stunning, dear Patricia.Your alpenglow I feel I once learned a german term for the sun’s aftershine] Along the Florida gulf coast lingering longer after witnessing the actual sunset can bring up a sky radiating intense colors to in the later skies. Your golden shovel makes me feel grateful that you appreciate all the beauty that surrounds you. [And you so kindly don’t mention how lovely your thermometer reading is, compared to so many.] Happy Holiday Weekend to you & Family!
Thanks for this beautiful image in your golden shovel. Love” her painted peaks, her pastel skies– all she offers.” Evening on the bayou has an ambient glow as well. We are in a place where the bayou runs east to west, so we get lovely light both at dawn and dusk. I try to capture it in photos but it’s never the same. That is the glory of our sun’s light. Magnificent wherever you may be.
Patricia, so beautiful! The photo and your poem are convincing evidence that another sunset “doesn’t hold a candle to alpenglow’s earth / –her painted peaks, her pastel skies– all she offers.” So beautiful! Our desert sunsets are pretty glorious. I love the mixture of blues, oranges, and pinks swirled together.
No alpen glow in Ohio! LOL! But my favorite glow is after a storm passes from W to E and the thunderclouds are all piled up in the E as the sun goes down, lighting them up (and maybe giving us a rainbow to spot between houses, power lines, and neighborhood trees).
YOU are alpenglow, Patricia. Thank you for this beauty! Sunsets on our lake are gorgeous…we live on a ridge overlooking the lake (like you, we love mountains!), and sometime we have to go racing down the stairs to the dock so we can feel more immersed in a particularly lovely sunset. xo
“Alpenglow” is a beautiful word. I like “preening in the sunset’s mirror.”
Have you seen the viral video of someone saying that people should think of themselves as sunsets, that photos can’t capture what they really look like? It is sweetly reassuring.
Just gorgeous! Love that alpenglow!
Patricia, the Alpeneglow is a remarkable tribute to nature’s beauty. I would love to sit at a deck admiring what you share with us. Your photos are gorgeous. I do like the flow of your Golden Shovel and your descriptive images with a line like this: preening in sunset’s mirror. I can imagine how serene you feel at sunset time. Enjoy life!
Your poem has such a beautiful sense of serenity and place. I absolutely love the word “alpenglow.” I also appreciate how you are open to combining questions and strike lines to create your own beauty. Lovely!