This reflective poem about the self and being in a new area is based on the total solar eclipse (dubbed the Great American Eclipse) that occurred on August 21, 2017. It explores themes similar to those raised in discussions about the case of Charity Lamb.https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/aha_2017/1003/thumbnail.jp

Valdes, Gretel

English

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Linfield College DigitalCommons@Linfield The Case of Charity Lamb (2017) Arts and Humanities in Action 8-2017 Fingerless Gretel Valdes Linfield College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/aha_2017  Part of the Poetry Commons Recommended Citation Valdes, Gretel, "Fingerless" (2017). The Case of Charity Lamb (2017). 4. https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/aha_2017/4 This Creative Writing is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield, with permission from the rights-holder(s). Your use of this Creative Writing must comply with the Terms of Use for material posted in DigitalCommons@Linfield, or with other stated terms (such as a Creative Commons license) indicated in the record and/or on the work itself. For more information, or if you have questions about permitted uses, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu.  Preface: the sun, moon, and eclipse   We only immerse the tips of our fingers  In caution Or in fear of being completely open Much in the same way people here hold open arms to the sun While I am still nursing sunburns  From days where I too thought sunlight was fleeting  You see I compete with the seasons to see who can move forward faster I see sun and I see anew, Light may travel fast but darkness is always there first  In the same sense that I worry people will notice the tear in my dress Or the slight smell of smoke Attached to my bag From all the smoke signals i gave  That turned to ash They might ask about all the books on my shelves That I have taped shut  Stories I’d rather not tell Because even the moon has a dark side we cannot see  Which is why people are entitled to an overlap Eclipses, although intriguing and intense, Are short-lived and a decent reminder Every moment we aren’t living, we are leaving behind The shadows define our every footsteps Heighten even But in totality we see the collision  Only in complete darkness does fear look the same as acceptance  All is well So long as light returns   Gretel Valdes, “Fingerless” 

Fingerless

https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1003&amp;context=aha_2017

Fingerless

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