Sep29

aurora borealis.

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on a quiet camping night

in grand marais

just after 9 o’clock

the sky with no moon

all the stars were out

we looked

over the lake

began seeing green

glowing in the night

colors began to slowly change

first jade

then

purple

red

yellow

and

back again

and move

streaking

shooting

rolling

tumbling

all around us

more people began coming out

to see this stunning light show

moving faster and faster

instantly gobsmacked

we soon ran out of words

nothing left to say

just trying to take it all in

not miss a second

twirl around with it

 absorb it all

embed it in our memories

as it silently

danced and swirled all around us

the milky way

the big dipper

the constellations

each twinkling star

all played a part

a magnificent circus in the sky

on and on for over two hours

i’ve never seen anything like it

i don’t expect that i may ever again

it still feels as if it was all a dream.

—

 

“As it was getting dark, the aurora gradually appeared, though it was dim and overshone by the bright stars. The aurora in bud looked pearl white, and slowly grew stronger concentrating its power to blossom. Later, it became slightly glowing bands of light, still static and stationary. As the lights built in intensity, the darkened color turned to green while the lights started to move and transform. When the activity grew to a greater level, they split into ribbons, floating around. In minutes, the ribbons gathered like crimson silk curtains hung vertically in the sky. The lights danced like curtains swinging in a light wind.” – Jie Ji

 

 

—

northern lights, grand marais, michigan, upper peninsula, usa, september 2025

 

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97 responses »

    • I really expected that I would have to travel to somewhere in Scandinavia/Arctic Circle to see this and was totally caught by surprise. It is really so hard to describe, isn’t it? Where you as in awe of it as I was?

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    • this was in the upper peninsula of michigan and I know that also have a Grand Marais on Lake Superior in Minnesota – maybe take a trip north and you will see it too? it was a total surprise to me and my first time ever in the UP

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  29. I can’t think of anything more beautiful and magical to see than the northern lights…which I have yet to experience. And you described it also so beautifully. Wow!
    Were you tent camping? Was it cold? Just incredible! Chris

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  35. Auroras are beautiful. I grew up in northern Sweden, around the arctic where you could see them quite often and close up. Once an aurora set off a panic. People thought they saw Jesus’ face in the aurora and they thought it was the rapture. Anyway, they are beautiful and you wrote a great poem describing it.

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