totality in solstice

even if you couldn't see it--
consider the drama...
on the longest darkest night
the moon is full
then its light too gives out
creating a dull red opaque face
looking back at you and all the ancestors
since this last happened in 1638

imagine Jan Ver Meer, age seven, in Delft.
painting his first picture.
eye on the detail,
pupil in the moon
camera obscura in the sky

those who came before
were not so much frightened
of the spectacle
as they were respectful--
that is what we've lost
in how far we've gone

ridin' the rails

so i asked forrest
what was the best part about taking
the Via rail from Sudbury to the Cdn. Rockies?
he sd.--the jam session in the dome car!--
with brushes on a tissue box, harps & guitars.
syncopated with the rhythm
& the engineer's whistle wailing in F

there is hope for Canada, for youth & the rest
it didn't end with the festival express
music still happens on a train goin' west.