Equinox

People think of sunsets as fiery things, over in minutes. The day snuffed out.

Here, they happen once a year, and take 38 hours. For weeks, we’ve been bathed in pink and gold light, and I cast a shadow that seemed to stretch miles.

Few people have ever seen it. I probably won’t see it again.

Without thinking, I touch my chest. It feels normal through all my layers, but I have a passenger. Hard, growing. Colder somehow than the ice I stand on.

As I watch, the sun finally slips away. I give a little smile, and wave goodbye.

—–

I read about sunset at the South Pole, then wrote this.

There’s pictures of this year’s one on this blog.