Monday, July 30, 2007

Woke Up, Chiaroscuro Morning

This morning deserves a few words. It's 11:22 and I've already been up for 6 hours and counting. I can't say it was the smartest idea to catclaw out of bed at 4:45 am, but it certainly was beautiful. As I blindly pulled on shorts, wearily weasled my perma-dirt covered feet into dustier and dirtier sneakers, I sat on the living room floor tempting my eyes to stay open with early morning CNN. There was no light in the sky- just glow of the city. It's a glow not at all like NY, there's nothing "bright lights" about it, no "tripping the light fantastic" in Yerevan. The night light of Yerevan is more akin to the smoky, faded puffs of yellow that slither through the small crack under the door. Running up to the Cascade, face flush to the floor, trying to peer under the door, I can't see much. In the lowlight, the potential for imagination to carry aaway and kidnap reason in great. I was glad to be joined by fellow nightriders at the base of the monument.

We climbed. We arrived. We sat at the top of the monument, lying around waiting for the elusive sunrise. While we spend all day at internet-equipped internships, a few clicks away from finding out the exact minute the sun surges up past Mama Armenia, none of us knew exactly when that beast would rise. We didn't want to risk missing it. A miscalculation of an hour or so had us sprawled on the ledge waiting for the sky to warm. We spit out words in spurts like popping gum or tapping pens. For the most part, it was silent.

And finally, on her schedule, certainly not ours, the sky hit an apex of beauty. We turned around and saw the moon on our right, our Ararat to the left. A sky that grew in gradation from pale yellow to pink to blue. The sun pushing the color palate deeper.

I'm a little tired now. But hey, did you know that a young, robust supreme court judge was hospitalized in Maine last night and a robbery gone wrong left three dead? Not only was this morning beautiful, but thanks to the CNN newsbrief that repeats on the half hour, decidedly informative.

Certain that a cup of MacCoffee and Anderson Cooper can eradicate exhaustion,

Samantha

5 comments:

Dockie said...

Dear Sam, Great sunrise story and an apt juxtaposition of Mother Ararat and the sun and moon. As to the botched robbery it was just around the corner from where Maribeth Lederer Colosky lives in Cheshire, CT. All the neighbors were very scared and because of that lives change (for better or worse). Love from balmy East Haven. Dockie

Weatherization Skillshop said...

I look forward to your photo of that sunrise, Miz Sammie!

Better a botched robbery than a botched bridge,

Love from Cape Cod, Liz

Samantha said...

that's for damn sure. So far, no felled bridges in Armenia- now that's what I call lucky

Christina said...

I just got around to reading your blog...amazing recount of that morning...my fave morning in armenia by far!!

Cecilia said...

Hi, Are you a fan of MacCoffee sachets?