flickering fleeting flame

2023, november 30, cammeraygal (sydney)

a shadow from a coconut tree flickers on the door, surrounded by gentle white-yellow light, then quickly disappears. i wonder why these subtly spectacular light shows are so fleeting. then i realize it’s the cars outside casting these flashingly bright reflections. my place, surrounded by palms, jacarandas, and paperbarks, captures these moments for a micro-second.

the fleetingness reminds me of the little bright red flame angelfish in hawaii. our divemaster mentioned, the moment our eye catches this fish, it will disappear again. he suggested that we simply enjoy the rare sight for a second, rather than pointing it out to our co-divers because we might miss the moment ourselves.

the extreme fleetingness of the flame angelfish and the flickering palm tree shadow force me into soaking in the micro-second instead of trying to capture, share, or prolong it.