A large swath of North America has the opportunity to see a full or partial solar eclipse today, so today’s poem naturally ought to have some eclipse-like features. I also mentioned earlier in the month that you’d likely see characters like Sisyphus make poetic appearances during National Poetry Month, and here’s one of those appearances. You remember Sisyphus, right? He’s the guy condemned to rolling a rock uphill only to have it roll right back to the bottom as soon as it gets to the top, and then he has to start all over again.
Sisyphus Puts On Night-Vision Goggles
I am five indigo steps from a summit,
Which means six steps from starting again.
My eyes relax, spread wide, vision clears,
sight clearer it has any right to be.
in this dank, purple-green night.
A moment remains. A countdown up to
and then during the glow about the rock’s
edges. The stone, big as the moon,
is limned with evidence of a greater light
beyond. Strung with memories,
and sweat rapidly cooling in the abnormal chill.
Even knowing all turns eventually repeat,
still I strive step after moss-dark step
toward the next sunrise.
~~
Fun fact, per NASA, the drop in temperature can be 10 degrees Fahrenheit (about 5 degrees Celsius) due to the moon blocking solar radiation. Considering how brief the eclipse is, that’s pretty amazing. In you are in the path of the eclipse today, be safe, wear proper eye protection, and remember this moment because these chances don’t come too often.
Today’s image (at the top of the post) was taken in 2017 during the last total solar eclipse visible from the continental US. I took the photo while we watched from the top of the airport parking garage in Nashville, Tennessee. Today’s eclipse’s path has a wider totality band across its path and will pass many more populated areas than the 2017 eclipse. We should be able to view today’s eclipse from home. Twice in a lifetime! The next eclipse viewable from the continental US isn’t until 2044, but 20 years isn’t out of the question, right? So maybe we will get to say THRICE in a lifetime!