highlights from PAD 2010

From Evening Dresses to Evening in Paris

Depending who you are and where you might be

Evening might describe all manner of time -

In the some parts of the southern U.S, for example

Many think any time between noon and sunset

Qualifies as evening; this apparently is also true

Of parts of Britain ...

Whereas much of the world tends to think of evening

as that period of waning light in late afternoon

when dusk or twilight begins to creep into the

atmosphere, shooing the sun from the sky

as if preparing the landscape for the moon, and

true darkness to descend

Still, no matter where you find yourself

Should you have cause to don evening clothes

Or be wished a “good evening” you will no

Doubt be quite sure of where and what

You are about

For evening speaks of grandeur and gowns,

Black-tie affairs, top hats and tails -

The opera and the ballet – as in, “an evening out”

And when one is bid a “good evening”

There is no confusion about whether they

Are to have a pleasant time, or go home

To bed – as would have been the case had

They instead heard, “good-night” – see, simple?

The synonyms for evening are many: the aforementioned

Dusk and twilight, plus: crepuscule, evenfall, gloam or gloaming,

And, nightfall—to name but a few—all of which appear

To refer to the time of day immediately after sunset

However, there is some dispute as to whether there

Is some light left in evening – it makes sense that there

Would be, else why not call it night straight away and

Be done with it?

Evening – a word with many shades and meanings

And one used metaphorically as well; one in the latter

Part of life is often said to be in the evening of it

Perhaps not such an unpleasant way to end your days

©SE Ingraham