Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Eclipse

woke up this morning
harsh light
half light
crescents revealed in the shadows
created out of darkness

woke up this morning
harsh life
half life
secrets revealed in the shadows
created out of darkness

can this be enough for life
this light has been overcome
eclipse
this light has been overcome
darkness
this light has been overcome
eclipse

there must be a way, I know there’s a way

woke up this morning
missing the light
something is off
crescents dancing in the shadows

woke up this morning
missing our life
something is off
secrets dancing in the shadows

we take the light for granted
we take our life for granted
till how we knew it

is gone.

Eclipse.

Lyrics by Lori Swain
©2005 Original Records

I wrote these lyrics about six weeks ago when there was an eclipse here in Spain. I didn't know there was an eclipse when I woke up, but I definitely noticed that things were off. There were too many shadows across our back porch, and there was this harsh brash look to everything outside. I took a walk and wondered how the ecology of our planet would be affected if this reduced amount was the normal amount of light we received from the sun. Which things would die off and which would be OK? What would the plants look like? Would it be enough light for life?


When I was walking through a park I remembered something from Mr. Grossenbacher's 11th grade physics class - that the leaves on trees act like pinhole cameras and project the image of the sun on the ground. Normally it's a bunch of circles, but during an eclipse there are millions of crescent shapes dancing all over the ground. It's magnificent. Walking around that morning, in such an odd light that made everything look and feel edgier made me start thinking about what a great metaphor an eclipse is for those moments that forever alter your life. There's this new light, this new filter through which you view everything. You want to go back but you can't and you wonder if there's even enough light going around to survive.

--Lori


No comments: