Total Eclipse of the Moon, Flagstaff, AZ, December 2011
It's eight degrees Fahrenheit in the deserted soccer field and my face and ears are frozen. I lean against the steel trunk of a street light to steady my shivering hands enough to take a few photographs. Beneath the sound of big rigs jamming gears on the interstate a mile away I can hear the muted buzzing of the sodium vapor light glowing above.
There is a long pause in which the world holds its breath before the last smokey sliver of the moon slips behind shadow. For a moment I am conscious of the tickings of vast clockworks and the mathematics of spheres and light. I glance around me at the slumbering houses and condominiums bordering the field.
"Hey!" I want to scream at the shuttered windows. "Where the hell is everybody? Wake up, this is really important! You people should be seeing this!"
But the shout never escapes my lips and the feeling of having glimpsed the workings of the universe fades. I sigh and put my camera in my pocket.
The sun will be rising soon and it's just another day.
Excellent shot!!
Posted by: Kathy | January 08, 2012 at 02:16 AM