Dusk Murdered the Sun - By: Landon Hamilton

Dusk murdered the Sun. I was the witness.

Sharp twilight plunged deep and split open the clouds.

Red, orange, and gold spilled everywhere, smearing the sky floor.

Heaven tried to hold the wounds closed, but Dusk panicked.

The Sun kept bleeding until the crime scene stained my face.

The Sun’s breaths slowed down as my heart raced.

With every second passing, his cheeks lost its amber glow.

Dusk wiped the blood away, letting it drip into the ocean below.

With the sink full of scarlet, the Sun finally laid down.

Now 6 feet under the horizon, Dusk fled and left me all alone.

Ashes to ashes, dusk to dusk.

His lover, the Moon, rose from her slumber for the funeral.

Dressed in black, her pale face hid behind a lace veil.

She turned away from the somber scene, showing only a sliver of silver.

And whispered, “Rest my love, for you will burn brighter tomorrow.”

I felt no remorse for such a violent act.

It was a necessary sin to commit.

The Sun trembled as I stood there admiring Dusk’s triumph.

With the sharp twilight blade, and me as a partner in crime,

I would let Dusk murder the Sun a thousand times more, just to watch him bleed and die.

Please give a detailed explanation about the meaning and main idea of this poem.

The idea behind this poem is to express how magnificent the sunset was on a hot summer night. I can still feel the warmth and the eye-blinding light when I close my eyes. It was a spontaneous trip but it was one of my life's most memorable trips. The only way I can describe how red the scene was is to write a poem about it.

Please explain your writing and thought process regarding this poem.

I wanted to use personification and imagery for this poem. I felt like only a cruel murder scene could describe the sunset I saw. It was red and orange everywhere with a hint of pink in the sky. And I was also able to see the twilights going through the clouds like sharp swords stabbing someone in the chest. I felt sad watching the sun set, but the scene was too astonishing to turn away from. We stayed there until the sun set and the moon appeared in the sky. Temperature difference is big where I live. Going from a warm and bright to a dark and cold, it was quite an experience which made me feel like I've just witnessed a life passing and now I was at his funeral. Everything was somber and chilling.

I invested a lot of personal feelings into this poem which reflects the emotions I went through at the time.

Why did you choose to write this poem?

One day I was flipping through my photo album and I came across this photo of me standing on the top of the hill admiring the sunset. The sunset here in Nova Scotia is so colorful and grand, pink, red and orange everywhere. The photo brought back memories of that particular sunset because it was one of the most magnificent things I've ever witnessed in my 13 years of life. My mom was able to capture that image and it inspired me to write this poem.