I knew the poem! In fact, Googled "13 Ways of Looking at an Eclipse" and found somebody else had jumped on that title too--but your poem is much more interesting--and fun! Motel Six charging a boodle? Jeez. Cloudy . . . reminds me of going to Machu Picchu on a day so shrouded in mist you could barely see your hand in front of you. We'd been told to arrive early and we did--but by 9:45 the mist evaporated and the sun beat down--glorious. Llamas, Alpacas, and that amazing landscape.
Cathy, what an excellent way to recollect your experience of the Event. Well done! Now you come to elaborate, I do remember the title of the poem but I had not read it before now.
Your #12 resonated with me. Expecting yellow and instead seeing a brilliant white, but not neon, something altogether brighter.
Here's another take:
Eclipse shining in the dead of day
Take this broken world and learn to fly
All our lives
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Of course, eclipse doesn't really resonate the way blackbird does. When you want to mimic a famous poem or lyric, you want it to be close to the original but not too close.
As for the experience itself, it was the sight of a lifetime. Diana took a video of the total eclipse, as it appeared at ground level (we were in Perryville, MO). The first part of the video shows up as pitch black and, as she moved her iphone, you could see light on the horizon silhouetting the trees. Its an amazing video because as I replay those three minutes in my mind, I dont remember it being so dark. Its slightly troubling: did I fail to absorb its totality because there were so many sensory perceptions to process for those three minutes? The part of those three minutes I will cling onto is the black orb, the brilliant white ring, and the beautiful, indigo sky.
The sky darkens slightly
Becoming a bit off color
A breeze brings a sudden chill
Before the sun all but vanishes
Behind a black disc.
I knew the poem! In fact, Googled "13 Ways of Looking at an Eclipse" and found somebody else had jumped on that title too--but your poem is much more interesting--and fun! Motel Six charging a boodle? Jeez. Cloudy . . . reminds me of going to Machu Picchu on a day so shrouded in mist you could barely see your hand in front of you. We'd been told to arrive early and we did--but by 9:45 the mist evaporated and the sun beat down--glorious. Llamas, Alpacas, and that amazing landscape.
I enjoyed this piece for more than 13 reasons. Yes, seek the Northern lights!
This was very clever. Loved it!
I too, was unfamiliar with that poem, but I love what you wrote anyway!
Cathy, what an excellent way to recollect your experience of the Event. Well done! Now you come to elaborate, I do remember the title of the poem but I had not read it before now.
Your #12 resonated with me. Expecting yellow and instead seeing a brilliant white, but not neon, something altogether brighter.
Here's another take:
Eclipse shining in the dead of day
Take this broken world and learn to fly
All our lives
You were only waiting for this moment to arise.
Of course, eclipse doesn't really resonate the way blackbird does. When you want to mimic a famous poem or lyric, you want it to be close to the original but not too close.
As for the experience itself, it was the sight of a lifetime. Diana took a video of the total eclipse, as it appeared at ground level (we were in Perryville, MO). The first part of the video shows up as pitch black and, as she moved her iphone, you could see light on the horizon silhouetting the trees. Its an amazing video because as I replay those three minutes in my mind, I dont remember it being so dark. Its slightly troubling: did I fail to absorb its totality because there were so many sensory perceptions to process for those three minutes? The part of those three minutes I will cling onto is the black orb, the brilliant white ring, and the beautiful, indigo sky.