A Once In A Lifetime Day Poem by Deanna Samuels

What a strange day,
going to be an eclipse,
warnings - don't look at sun direct
will wreck your retinas,
use only the specified eclipse glasses.
Very near the time of said event,
a quietness overtook the outdoor scene,
nature seemed to come to a stop,
sky became dimmer,
there was an uneasy, uncanny feeling.
In the immediate area
too cloudy to see the sun
though gradually
a darkness overtook
and still no sight of eclipse
thick cloud above.
The nigh time came -
nothing to see, though
in the far southern distance
a curtain of thick darkness
drew across the horizon
where totality taking place.
Within a few minutes
as the moon went on its way,
the immediate darkness grew lighter,
became misty grey
and quickly cleared away.
Nature came back to life,
birds chirping, squirrels bouncing.
all happening without a sight of eclipse
and the world carried on once more.

Consolation
Twenty minutes or so later,
clouds parted
sun glimpsed through
for a few moments,
just time to don glasses
look up and there it was -
the moon, orbit now half way
its shadow falling upon the sun
which formed into a golden crescent.
What a glorious moment
and a moment it was,
never to be forgotten
as clouds once again curtained
those celestial bodies.


Written in Courtice, Ontario - Just after the full eclipse on 8th April 2024