shafts of northern lights
shafts of northern lights
arch from horizon to horizon
muted white, at times tinged
with green or pale maroon
rather than pink but strangely still
as though embedded in faint haze
third night of aurora borealis
from our sun’s upheavals, flares
of intense, chaotic storm
hurling fierce, solar winds
against earth’s electro-magnetic shield
how little we comprehend
our fragile haven amidst
the battle of titanic forces waging
so close around us