Eclipse At The National Zoo

[Image description: photograph of shadows cast by the light of the solar eclipse.]

Nino Porter-Lupu

Darkness holds the hands of light
In the crescent of the sun
And the birds cry
And the sloths dance
And the elephants beat their drums

The silence of the spheres
Transmits in particles and waves
They call us now to see their song
And draw us from our caves

So raise your arms toward the sky
Above the flesh and dust
Close your fingers
One by one
And feel its fire for us.

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Nino Porter-Lupu is a writer and translator who has plied their trade in countries around the world. A long-time professional foreigner, Nino is not from there, but they probably speak the language. They currently live, for their sins, in Chicago, and their hobbies include knife-throwing and screaming-at-god.