Impressions of an Eclipse (2024)

From light

to dark

to light

a break in routine.

 

This was it,

that thing we sometimes hope for,

a way to slow the pace

without applying mechanical technology,

we were inside the clock.

 

Like nothing else,

it was all about the moon stealing the show

and we watched without use of time-lapse photography

no fast forward

no playback to speed it up

 

this was the time for us to stand by

and wait for the moon shadow

to pass

Moving slowly over the circumference of the sun,

it denied us the light and heat

then let it come back.

 

Advice and warnings were posted

It will become windy

the temperature will drop

—animals might act strangely

But how strangely was not stated

 

I wondered if a fox or raccoon might approach out of curiosity

—no animals showed their faces

 

And I thought

we are also animals

so how would this affect us?

Would we be unpredictable?

 

it turned out to be a calming experience

and afterward, we stayed a while to enjoy

the sounds and sight of the dunes and the strait

when most people had left the beach

a flock of birds retook the sky

 

A couple with a dog came to walk on the sand, even though dogs are not allowed on that beach. It did not look like the vicious kind but you never know when the teeth are running in your direction. It ran for us but stopped short, to claim a clump of grass.

 

When we left the scene to drive back home

We were surprised to find ourselves in a slow parade of cars heading back to the cities.

It was a slow-moving snake that filled the highways

Yet drivers remained calm, patiently creeping along between communities.

 

There were no threats as the passage of the moon moved off

to join other moments in the history of the galaxy.

I was reminded again of the peace that we enjoy in this country.

– Valerie LeBlanc
April 8, 2024