The Brooklyn Rail

I have been thinking about how little time I spend looking at the sky, and by contrast, how much time our ancestors spent gazing up at celestial beings. For my birthday last year, I went out into the countryside where the sky was large. Soon, this circular, pinkish cloud formation appeared. It hovered for what seemed like a very long time. I felt a sense of calm descend on my body. And I rejoiced in ephemeral yet ever-present visions of the sky.