Photos by George Liu/NWAW
Editor’s note: This poem was sent to us by one of our readers, commemorating the solar eclipse that occurred Aug. 21.
By Mac Crary
SPECIAL TO NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Sky was clear, temperature in the mild to warm 70s,
From Hing Hay Pagoda in Chinatown/International District, Seattle
Found me in the perfect place on a perfect day for a total solar eclipse.
It was strange, ethereal, and beautiful,
Shimmering with vitality that purple semi-darkness of vibrant light
A spell, fossilized by time,
Supernatural by our standards.
Many people had special glasses
Passing them around
So we all got a peek into other worlds.
The image itself was momentous and pre-Cambrian
A tie that binds the cosmos to ancient history
And the future.
Yet it seems pedestrian, my professors,
Who have learned me so well
The novelties of the beyond.
Fixated, amazed, a little more aware,
As it went away to be forgotten.
Very nice!