Sodium Streetlamps

Winter lights

It was only about five or ten years ago that all the yellow sodium streetlamps in my city were replaced with the bright white lights. The sodium lamps had a charm that these new ones could not imitate. They may not be the most efficient or even environment friendly but they had an old world charm. They were like friendly fireplaces in each corner of the street. They would shine dimly, almost sleepily in the lazy fog of the evening. The cold winds seeming to flicker them off like candle flame. But they would hold on to their light, like a child to its toy. Twilight would grow and the shadows would lengthen. Tiny moths would fly out from their unseen homes and gather around the lamps in uncontained glee. And when the day had dimmed enough for it to be dark, the sodium lamps would shine bright enough for me to walk home from the playground.

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