Chasing the Lights
A poem about chasing the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis)
Chasing the Lights
By Laura Brady DePace
The space scientists say
There’s a chance to see the Aurora Borealis tonight.
Without going to Alaska,
Or Iceland,
Taking our chances on a flight,
Or daring a volcanic eruption.
So we drive North
Five hours
Chasing the Lights.
Vermont in March:
Magnificent isolation.
Snowy remoteness.
Emptiness; unnerving for one from the suburbs.
Forbidding, yet so very beautiful.
We march through the snow,
Icy path crunching beneath our feet,
Full moon lighting our way,
To arrive at the edge of the lake.
We face North
And watch.
We take pictures, because
Sometimes the camera catches
What the eye does not.
That’s what Facebook has taught us.
Beautiful night
Crystal clear water lapping the shore
The silence of snow
And Winter
In a place that does
Winter
So well.
Eleven thirty.
Midnight.
One o’clock.
Two.
The Aurora eludes us.
But we drink in the beauty
Of this night-time lake
And admire the stars
And the silvery moon.
And we think of coming here,
Again,
Chasing the Lights.
About the Creator
Laura DePace
Beaches and mountains, quiet forests and sleepy gardens, stormy nights and sunny days, full moons and starry skies, sunrises and sunsets. Joy, sorrow, love, and life. These call to me, and I wish to tell their stories.
Comments (2)
I lived in Alaska and saw them. Magnificent. But night in the snow is wonderful too. The Perseid meteor shower always come on my birthday but last year was chaos. If you feel like it, check out my story on that. https://vocal.media/earth/meteors-in-august
Beautiful vision!