The Saturday before the 2024 total solar eclipse, I had the honor of having one of my poems selected for a staged reading for Literary Cleveland‘s The Gift Of Darkness. It was held at the auditorium of the Stokes’ building in the Main Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. My piece was the thirteenth poem read, performed by three of the four talented performers onstage. Thank you to all who contributed and made the event possible! It placed me in a positive mindset for the main event.
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The eclipse passing over Cleveland was a humbling and calming experience. I should’ve known it would be life-affirming, because my brother has been planning on visiting with his family for several years.
He analyzed historical weather data and decided to come to a notoriously cloudy city in a statistically rainy month. In the weeks leading up to the event, he was texting and calling daily with maddeningly variable weather and cloud cover predictions. He was possessed with the slim chance that it would all work.
I did not yet understand. I had only ever seen partial eclipses.
It will either be cloudy or not cloudy, I said. Try not to get your hopes up.
Notes from the Total Solar Eclipse – April 8, 2024 3:14PM ET
clear weather in cleveland
the light is all wrong
shadows, mere crescents
communal anticipation
radiates from the small yards
of matching brick homes
there is a beat at totality
an awed inhale followed by cheering
through which i discern my loved ones’ voices
look at how there is a sunset in every direction
this is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen
are you going to remember this forever?
