On Monday, August 21, the sun, moon, and earth aligned causing a solar eclipse. My students wrote journals inspired by this special occasion. The Literary Arts Department’s first Coffee House/ Open Mic Night also fell on this day and students were invited to read poetic works inspired by everything under the eclipse. I enjoy writing with my students so I, too, created an eclipse-inspired poem. Unshared until now. I call this “Radiant Womanhood”…

Not everyone can see her accurately.

Her beam,

Synthesized like Kool & the Gang’s summer madness.

She is the sun’s corona glowing in darkness.

Never absent of light.

Projecting love, peace and Glory.

Before she can glow,

She must be filled with power.

Before she releases a ray of light,

Before she can exist brightly,

She must experience darkness.

A-woman-in-waiting,

Resting on black satin.

Soft.

Dramatic.

Until she owns her glow.

Her light is a love offering bestowed on anyone within her path.

She is brilliant.

She is rare.

Never dimming.

 

Clinnesha D. Sibley is an award-winning playwright and published poet/essayist. She is the Literary Arts Instructor at Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven, MS. For more information, please visit: http://onepagerapp.com/clinneshadsibley.