by Pepper Trail
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| Eclipse Explorer from NASA |
The shadow of the moon is coming to America. Prepare yourselves.
It will invade from Mexico—with no passport, no legal right—
Cross the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass and cut across Texas
Darken nineteen children’s graves in Uvalde
Fall upon Austin’s swarm of lobbyists and free-tailed bats
Pass over all the pregnant women – the happy ones and the desperate—
And cross Arkansas, over Little Rock, its history of black and white
Then Illinois, where a proud Chamber of Commerce claims
The capital of darkness: “Carbondale: Eclipse Crossroads of America”
And on to Indiana, named to commemorate the Indians (all removed by 1846)
And then—to lighten its dark mood—over carefree Cleveland
Where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will celebrate the moment
With “Back in Black” and “Dancing in the Dark,” until the shadow
Spreads its veil over Niagara Falls, where newlyweds will look up
At the ring of fire and share an eternal moment of totality (duration: 4 minutes)
Before it slices off the tops of Vermont and New Hampshire
Lingers over the bewildered moose and citizens of Maine
And then, finally, leaves our country behind
To make the best of our return to the light of day
Pepper Trail is a poet and naturalist based in Ashland, Oregon. His poetry has appeared in Rattle, Atlanta Review, Spillway, Kyoto Journal, Cascadia Review, and other publications, and has been nominated for Pushcart and Best of the Net awards. His collection Cascade-Siskiyou was a finalist for the 2016 Oregon Book Award in Poetry.