bad haiku for the theory of the vernal equinox
joke, the idea that spring
will emerge from the
tough, hard ground, that the
tyrannical winter will
be driven from the
landscape by the mere
fact of science, a turning
world that for millions
of years has forecast
this sameness, this fate. after
all, arizona
says it's equal, all:
evolution, god, matters
of academic
opinion now. of
course, of course. this must be what
einstein meant when he
meandered into
relativity. theory,
right? one word, taken
righteously out of
context and suddenly the
force which holds humans
to crust holds as much
pull–ha!–as intelligent
falling and along
with humans, not long
ago, the dinosaurs roamed
a landscape that must
have looked a lot like
today's first day of spring: cold,
so perfect for big
reptiles. i had big
plans for spring, a lottery
win among them, more
vodka, perhaps more
hope–an accompaniment
to the bulbs that push
against the falling
in an intelligent way,
but now i wonder:
what's the point? now this
winter is everlasting,
ever present; new
never wondrous place,
a diff'rent kind of climate
change. sure, the crocus
will try to change a
few minds, but all that glitters
ain't old. hey hey. my
my. looks like rocks and
roles are legislated to
die. dark matters, true–
but what is truth? the
old answer, beauty, doesn't
hold when reason is
beholden to all
anthropocentrism that
dances on the head
of a pin. spring's dance
is curtailed forever now
by a kind of cold
without kindness, chill
that no amount of global
warming can belie.
sure, the crocus–small,
bright against the snow, vernal
persistence, once a
speck of hope, one sign
of the world renewed, but...this
winter is the world.
and the drip drip drip
isn't merely the icemelt
falling from the roof.
Here’s my most recent take, specifically for 2015. It’s written at 7th-grade level, which is as simple as I can make it. What kills me is that this is still too difficult for a TV audience, almost none of whom will listen to all of it:
ReplyDeleteThe Vernal Equinox is the beginning of Spring in Earth's Northern Hemisphere. It is the date and time when Earth's equator points directly toward the Sun's center, during the first half of the year.
Because of this, the Sun rises due east, and sets due west, on the day of the Vernal Equinox.
This means there should be 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night during the Vernal Equinox. In fact, the daylight is 4 minutes longer, because of refraction in Earth's atmosphere.
The Vernal Equinox is traditionally on March 21. This year, it's on March 20, at 3:45 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. It can be between March 19 and 23, because of leap years. Leap years happen because Earth's year isn't exactly 365 days long.
It takes over a month for Earth's oceans and atmosphere to warm up. This is why it can be weeks after the Vernal Equinox for the weather to feel like Spring.