A recent online post caused me to ponder the solstice celebrations I mentioned in the previous edition of Crane’s Eye View. The author spoke of “mainstream solstice celebrations” and wondered if the winter solstice was originally a cause to celebrate darkness.
Wendell Berry’s poem, To Know the Dark, came to mind. I like his comment about “dark feet and dark wings,” but I would say go without a light, whereas Berry says “go without sight.” As I have taught on many occasions, humans have night vision, though it cannot compete with that of night-active animals. Their eyes reflect light, due to a membrane called the tapetum lucidum which improves their night vision. This article discusses the use of eyeshine to identify animals https://blog.walkingmountains.org/curious-nature/eye-shine-color-animals.
I have only experienced total darkness in one place, a cave’s interior. The experience reminds me of all the devices that emit light. I have even seen people wearing sneakers with tiny lights that flash on and off. By shutting off or shielding cell phones and asking those with light-up sneakers to stand still, one can have a memorable experience. I implore you though, please do not explore caves except with an experienced guide. Cave rescues are difficult, time-consuming, costly, and not always successful.
I have led outdoor night hikes, with exercises to teach how night vision works. Night vision takes time to develop and any flash of white light ends it. I have a headlamp with a red light setting and use it to navigate without losing night vision. One night, I watched a raccoon cross my neighbor’s porch and walk toward mine. I didn’t move and kept the red light on. When the animal got close I turned on the white light for a better look and my observations ended with the raccoon scampering away.
Other parts of my neighborhood are not all that dark. The Big Dipper is barely visible above Chattanooga’s lights. The eastward view is better, where the bright lights of the winter constellations shine clearly. The winter sky has more first-magnitude stars than the sky over any other season. Though I have no southward view, I have seen Antereas in Scorpio from another location. Darkness is great for stargazing though darkness is becoming rare with light pollution.
One last thing that comes to mind in this discussion is Louis Armstrong, who celebrated “The Bright Blessed Day and the Dark Sacred Night” in his song “What a Wonderful World.” That could provoke yet another discussion celebrating darkness. Another launching point could be “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson.
No Hair Dog Star–Isis
Sirius greeted the crescent moon last night,
followed his master Orion,
bright belt draped across the sky.
The bull fled Orion’s sword.
Seven sisters shunned his embrace.
Cold nights follow warm days.
Already the forsythia blooms.
My heart fills with the promise of spring.
Dog days of summer are far away.
When Sirius rises with the sun,
the Nile floods.
This poem appeared In Southern Light: Twelve Contemporary Southern Poets.
Two Reviews
Jericho Rising
Susie H Crain
ISBN 9798879620795
The introduction reveals a child living on the margins of poverty. The poems and short stories are honey, venom, and longing all served piping hot.
Chattown Chatta
Our Homeless
Mark J. Anderson
ISBN 979-8-218-53067-9
Anderson's book is a breath of fresh air in a world where the stories of a town's history often commemorate founding families while others are forgotten. Anderson interviewed unhoused people in Chattanooga and gave their stories a home in his book. A QR code follows each story and links the reader to a video interview on his YouTube channel.
Wendell Berry’s poem, To Know the Dark, came to mind. I like his comment about “dark feet and dark wings,” but I would say go without a light, whereas Berry says “go without sight.” As I have taught on many occasions, humans have night vision, though it cannot compete with that of night-active animals. Their eyes reflect light, due to a membrane called the tapetum lucidum which improves their night vision. This article discusses the use of eyeshine to identify animals https://blog.walkingmountains.org/curious-nature/eye-shine-color-animals.
I have only experienced total darkness in one place, a cave’s interior. The experience reminds me of all the devices that emit light. I have even seen people wearing sneakers with tiny lights that flash on and off. By shutting off or shielding cell phones and asking those with light-up sneakers to stand still, one can have a memorable experience. I implore you though, please do not explore caves except with an experienced guide. Cave rescues are difficult, time-consuming, costly, and not always successful.
I have led outdoor night hikes, with exercises to teach how night vision works. Night vision takes time to develop and any flash of white light ends it. I have a headlamp with a red light setting and use it to navigate without losing night vision. One night, I watched a raccoon cross my neighbor’s porch and walk toward mine. I didn’t move and kept the red light on. When the animal got close I turned on the white light for a better look and my observations ended with the raccoon scampering away.
Other parts of my neighborhood are not all that dark. The Big Dipper is barely visible above Chattanooga’s lights. The eastward view is better, where the bright lights of the winter constellations shine clearly. The winter sky has more first-magnitude stars than the sky over any other season. Though I have no southward view, I have seen Antereas in Scorpio from another location. Darkness is great for stargazing though darkness is becoming rare with light pollution.
One last thing that comes to mind in this discussion is Louis Armstrong, who celebrated “The Bright Blessed Day and the Dark Sacred Night” in his song “What a Wonderful World.” That could provoke yet another discussion celebrating darkness. Another launching point could be “The Creation” by James Weldon Johnson.
No Hair Dog Star–Isis
Sirius greeted the crescent moon last night,
followed his master Orion,
bright belt draped across the sky.
The bull fled Orion’s sword.
Seven sisters shunned his embrace.
Cold nights follow warm days.
Already the forsythia blooms.
My heart fills with the promise of spring.
Dog days of summer are far away.
When Sirius rises with the sun,
the Nile floods.
This poem appeared In Southern Light: Twelve Contemporary Southern Poets.
Two Reviews
Jericho Rising
Susie H Crain
ISBN 9798879620795
The introduction reveals a child living on the margins of poverty. The poems and short stories are honey, venom, and longing all served piping hot.
Chattown Chatta
Our Homeless
Mark J. Anderson
ISBN 979-8-218-53067-9
Anderson's book is a breath of fresh air in a world where the stories of a town's history often commemorate founding families while others are forgotten. Anderson interviewed unhoused people in Chattanooga and gave their stories a home in his book. A QR code follows each story and links the reader to a video interview on his YouTube channel.
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