Under the Canopy of the Night by Christina

Under the Canopy of the Night by Christina - January 2019 Scholarship Essay

For a dreamer, night’s the only day. You can’t help but consider it a curse. To be subjected to walk in the daytime as inspiration fills your brain while all you wish to do is close your eyes and imagine. To finally be able to create the world of possibilities of what reality can’t relinquish. To be able to construct castles out of your thoughts, and envision characters that you can only talk to with closed eyes. It’s at night where I’m finally myself.
There's something about the night and how the stars look at us from above, when the light supplied by the moon is just enough to see what you need. While everyone is asleep in their beds to recharge for the next day, I’m at my highest function. People see the night as a way to escape being caught. There’s always a shadow to hide behind from the sins they commit. I hide in the night for a different reason. I sit on my bed only to hear a single car speed by my house every hour as opposed to the constant traffic that consumes the roads during the day. Everything slows down where it feels you’re the only person in the world. A time when you’re at last free, free to think as you please, to be left alone and conjure your own serenity. It’s a place that the day erases away.
I still remember waiting for the sound of the one step that always creaked as my parents came up the stairs. I could see the dimming of the lights through my eyelids. Once I heard their impending departure as they'd go down the hallway, I would hastily sit up and begin by placing my stuffed animals along the perimeter of my bed, ready to start pretending. As the time passed, my stuffed animals were slowly removed from my bed. I then turned to paper to express the ideas spouting from my mind. I still sit in bed and create, but the way I express my imagination has changed. With a pen and paper in hand, the complexity and inspiration of my thoughts have grown in the protective canopy of the night.
It is at night where I’m most awake. Suddenly, thoughts and motivation rush through me as the world around me slows down. I’m finally able to think; I have my own time with no distractions. The night limits the obstructing views, as even the TV programs are no longer entertaining once a certain hour hits. Just an endless cycle of reruns and white noise until the morning comes with new content. The only place to turn is my mind. It’s the time I’m most productive. Whether it’s getting my homework done, cleaning my room, or just writing. The silence is comforting, with only the quiet humming of the dishwasher. I know it’s when I will finally be able to shut off the part of my mind worrying about all the responsibilities of the day. It’s the only time I can finally focus.
Though finally being able to wind down is a wonderful part about the evening, my favorite part of the night is that everything seems so much more beautiful. I have always been fascinated with what’s above me. The sky seems so vast, and I remember how small I truly am in comparison. It's more menacing than the light blue sky in the day, but more enchanting with its engraved diamonds. I'm able to look right into the eyes of the moon, as opposed to its blinding replacement. When the sun finally returns, looking down at the clutter of the day, it seems as if no one can shine. We’re all busy and occupied. But it’s at night that things begin to slow, a time when you either regenerate or reveal. It’s in the dark when my own light can finally be seen.