Why Don't I Deserve Magic Hour Mornings?

By: Angel Camille U. Dio

Gawain Bilang #3

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Why Don't I Deserve Magic Hour Mornings?

By: Angel Camille U. Dio

I worked until 2 AM last night. Usually, my mind functions better when it's dark — when the world's asleep. Time moves slowly, the deafening silence is loud, everything fits my ideal work hours.

Then I remembered, my family and I had to leave the next day, at exactly 4 AM. I decided to sleep at 2:30 AM, roughly having 1 and a half hour to sleep.

I woke up feeling groggy as ever, my eyes looked dull but surprisingly they weren't red. We drove an hour towards Cavite, eventually stopping by the hotel where my dad would attend his business meeting.

It was almost 6 AM when I noticed the sun rising up the horizon. Its bright beam signifies that it has already risen. The magic hour has begun.

At the outdoor parking lot of the hotel, I stood between the cars and captured what I saw. I couldn’t stare closely as the bright light would damage my eyes. Quickly, a wide shot was taken, and it was as if the sun was angry at me for shooting too late. As if it was telling me, "You're really not a morning person, are you?"

I moved closer towards it, as it rose a little bit higher. Its once orange beam buffered, most of what I saw became white. I muttered to myself, "Is the sun's light still beautiful if it wasn't 'golden'?"

Initially, I planned to just take a closer shot of a tree. I turned to my right, and there they were. Flowers. I leaned down to it and saw light from the sun peeping through. From there, I captured my medium shot, where all flowers caught the sun's gleam despite not equally.

I looked even closer. One of the flowers spoke to me, "Am I still beautiful without the sun's gleam?". I immediately responded, "I see you." Then proceeded to make it the subject for my close shot.

Amidst the sun's gleam which highlights objects along its path, are flowers sitting lonely in a hotel parking lot. In between those flowers, is one that longs to be seen. One that doesn't necessarily stand out but still wants to be known. Perhaps with the right eyes, you can see its glow. Natural. No light, maybe just a hint.

The flower stands alone — even more beautiful at night. The flower does not deserve magic hour mornings, because maybe it's not what it wants.

"What do you want?", I asked the flower.

The flower said, "To be as beautiful as my friends who glow brightly every morning."

Before leaving, I smiled at the picture I took and told it, "I think you're better off without the spotlight."