Penumbra
Fireflies blink as sunlight hides
behind the frosted moon
Darkness lies in crescent lines
when dawn is truly noon
Coaxing me like corpse’s kiss
unnaturally alone
Sun shines bright from day till night
until it’s warmth is gone
Unkind skies hold geese who fly
with words not meant for us
Checkmarks sign as fast as fire
the fate which lies at dusk
Dancing men forget to send
their lamps of solitude
Fluttering kites pass idly by
their eyes a frightening glue
Rip fast apart the beating hearts
no matter fast nor slow
Pilgrims span the wanton lands
but never know dove’s snow
Pears which grow in shaded groves
taste bitter like the sea
Spastic haze is set ablaze
from English breakfast tea
In deserts of our own desire
It’s easy to forget
The masters of our world keep hold
in heavy steel sewn net.
Sage Wyatt is a biology student at Mary Baldwin University, who writes poetry as a creative outlet. “Penumbra” was written on a chilly fall evening after the nationwide solar eclipse. While watching nature exist freely around her, Sage was reminded that even though life is often shadowed in constructs of pain and power, we can be liberated by the small, priceless pleasures which pass us by.