Grocery carts settle; wind catches flag,
Lifting it above cars pointed toward home.
Over darkening range, daylight lingers on scattered clouds,
And parking lot lamps welcome night,
Marking the hour errands become dinners and driveways.
In fading light, brake lights outglow distant peaks.
Nobody pauses, though sky seems reluctant to let day
Go gently into rush hour traffic.
Gloaming
gloam·ing (noun)
Pronunciation: GLOH-ming (rhymes with roaming)
Definition: Twilight; the time of day just after sunset when daylight fades and night begins to arrive.
Origin: From the Scottish word gloamin, derived from the Old English glōm, meaning twilight or dim light.
Example: The mountains disappeared into the gloaming as the first parking lot lights flickered on.
Unlike sunset, which marks a specific moment, gloaming refers to the gradual transition between day and night. It is the lingering light that remains after the sun has slipped below the horizon.
Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Let’s Make Gloaming a Verb
The dictionary insists that gloaming is a noun, but I think it deserves a promotion.
gloam (verb)
Present: gloam
Past: gloamed
Present participle / gerund: gloaming
Definition: To linger between one thing and the next; to pause in a transitional moment; to notice beauty while the world hurries past.
Example: The shoppers were gloaming in the parking lot, though most of them didn’t realize it.
Example: While waiting for the traffic light to change, I found myself gloaming beneath a sky reluctant to surrender the day.
I suspect most of us have been gloaming before; we just didn’t have a word for it.
Your Turn:
Have you ever paused to watch the day give way to night?
Where is your favorite place to experience the gloaming? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
