I wake to a halo around Venus, the island of light, a faint one.
That’s what I saw, but later read a NASA post: ‘I would be delighted to see a picture of an authentic 22-degree halo around Venus. Most sky watchers have seen halos around the Sun or Moon — but a Venus halo would be extraordinary.’[i]
Perhaps today is extraordinary. A pair of Galahs fly west from the new sun, and simply enjoyed the dance of their wings, light swarming over their silver feathers, angels could not have improved the ballet.
I worry about my mother, and in the last week or two, my mortality has popped into my mind – about time perhaps – we are making our wills.
Now thinking of my mother again, though her voice sounds strong on the phone. I will be with her in 2 months and 4 days, she will be 96 next month. I want to wheel her into the Oak forest, archived in the Doomsday book, let her revel in bird song once more.
Th rain hasn’t given up. I watch – try to follow a chosen drop, impossible. They thrum on the metal awning with melodic pings.
The light is cloudy, but if I close my eyes, what will I see?
The helix uncoiling, cells walls collapsing, flesh becoming food.
[i] Les Cowley, a retired physicist and an expert in atmospheric optics, has seen plenty of Sun and Moon pillars — but Venus? https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2002/06may_pillar
