My Jakarta Neighborhood at dusk

Tonight as I was clearing the dinner table, I looked out my window and couldn't believe what I saw. The sky looked like it was on fire, ablaze in orange. The neighborhood was bathed hues of gold. 

I left the dishes, called to the kids to get on their flip flops, and we rushed outside. It's not often the sky is this beautiful, this entertaining. Most often the sky is hidden behind a fog of pollution or a layer of clouds.

 

By the time we walked to the entrance of our neighborhood with the line of palm trees, the sky had changed to purple and pink. It lasted only a few minutes, but it was so beautiful.

We chased the colors in the sky past the security guards, down the brick path (where a squeaking rat barely phased us), and out onto the busy street. The sky had calmed to a dull gray. And we ended our pursuit when the haze of car exhaust burned our lungs. 

As we returned home, I had to smile at this familiar site: the bright lights of our neighborhood grocery store blinked on with the coming of night.