Never look directly into the sun
we were taught.
And then we learned how
if we used safe sun practices

We can watch an eclipse of the sun
through the darkened lens that welders use.
Maybe its ok to take a peek at the departing orb
Just before it disappears from sight
"because the atmosphere is so thick at the horizon"

Or maybe not

I held my breath when I first faced my digital camera
directly into the forbidden view,
the one that could blind me for the rest of my life.
It survived, and now it is my safety screen.
One eye on the little preview image and the other covered by my hand
I can face directly into the glory for as long as I can stand.

In my own version of my life, I am addicted to the sun.
Maybe it is from too many glimpses of the intense light
And now I need it daily as much or more than food.
Anything less and what I see with my eyes seems to darken
as if the light of the world were going dim

Eyes closed,
my heart hungers
for the light