Lights That Never Sleep

I was walking home late last night, the kind of night where the air feels heavy and the streets are mostly empty. I found myself counting the windows in the apartment block across from mine. Most were dark, but a few flickered with the soft, blue glow of a television or the steady yellow of a desk lamp. It made me wonder about the people behind those panes. Are they working, or are they just unable to find the quiet they need to drift off? We live in a world that is constantly humming, a place that refuses to turn its back on the day. There is something both comforting and lonely about that persistence. It feels like a promise that even when we are tired, the world keeps spinning, keeping watch over our restlessness. Do you ever feel like the night is just another version of the day, only quieter and more demanding of our attention?

Joy Dasgupta has captured this feeling perfectly in their image titled Golden City. The way the lights stretch across the water feels like a reflection of that same restless energy I felt last night. What does a city at night say to you when you are the only one awake to hear it?