Poetry

Chasing Totality

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen / 11 Comments

Can a poem repeat itself?
Humanity as an uncountable noun
Humanity as an uncountable noun and a state of being human
Humanity as an uncountable noun, a state of being human and a human kind to others.
Once again, eclipse-chasers put themselves in the path of totality
Yearning for rebirth in moon’s shadow.
Will it be the dawning of a new era?
For this is a poem repeating itself
In a world where laughter
Is the sole refuge
For humanity.

PS. Were you able to glimpse the rare solar eclipse yesterday, April 8th? Not in my part of the world. Anyway, an “important figure” who looked at the 2017 eclipse with a naked eye sparked the first poem in my latest collection, The Sheltering…

Prompt 9: Humanity for @Thotpurge

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Khaya Ronkainen
Khaya Ronkainen is a writer, poet and creative professional. Her blog focuses on all things poetry and creative nonfiction.

11 Comments

  1. What a thought-provoking poem Khaya. So often we lose the heart and sight of humanity when we are chasing other things like a fairytale. This is beautifully executed my sistah queen. I love your ruminations. 🥰💖😍

  2. Humanity as an uncountable noun, a state of being human and a human kind to others – love the repetition leading up to this! I think we’re all waiting for that new era to dawn, humanity has been totally eclipsed for now.

  3. I think it’s time everyone repeated the word ‘humanity’ like a mantra and found a home in the word. Love how your poem works Khaya.
    We missed the eclipse in our part of the world.

  4. We missed out on totality, only a partial where we are. But we experienced it a few years ago. It was a wild experience, very surreal and impactful.

  5. Pity you have missed the eclipse, this time. But how lovely you were able to witness this phenomenon a few years ago! I can only imagine it. 🙂

  6. Many thanks, Sumana. I appreciate your comment. We missed the eclipse too. It seemed to have been visible in US, Canada and Mexico areas.

  7. Thank you my poet friend. I’m grateful for this time to ruminate about our modern world issues. May we continue to search for ways to be present instead of chasing the rainbow!

  10. An important figure who’s name rhymes with dump lol

    I will forever remember that, every time an eclipse occurs.

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