During a recent visit, my grandparents told me about Black Sunday, a day in 1950 where the sky turned black at noon in Northwestern Pennsylvania. It was caused by a Canadian forest fire, allegedly. But nobody really believes that.
Please enjoy the synopsis of that day, from the viewpoints of my Grandma and Grandpa. This poem is much better if you can imagine it in the soft and slightly sad accent of the hills near Sheffield, PA.
a dark cloud
it was midnight black
when louise and gene
left the matinee
they ran two blocks home
where granny had knelt
in front of candlelit icons
to pray for their soul salvation
holy mary, mother of god
the rapture is upon us!
ominous clouds crept on
larry and freddie paused
their manual labors
on the hill outside of town
they set down their tools
and the deep, cool forest
darkened even further
if the world is really ending,
we may as well go home and eat!
(13-APR-2018 – Allegheny National Forest)
