Living in Albuquerque since 1988, I always try to attend at least one Mass Ascension at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. I was on the field enjoying the awesome spectacle and beauty of hundreds of balloons rising during the Mass Ascension when I noticed one balloon had escaped the mass and was about to eclipse the sun. I waited until the balloon produced, what for a balloon, would be a full umbra and took my shot. The balloon was rising so quickly that only one photograph was all I could get.
Reflections of a Poet
Hot Air Balloon
"Hot Air Balloon (upon seeing a photograph entitled “Eclipse” by David Douglas)
(for David)
Lighter than the air in which it
drifts and rises,
the hot air balloon is like a moon
that is full of itself.
From the position of the photographer
the sun for an instant
is eclipsed
by the huge balloon.
And we can see a great aura of light
that surrounds the balloon,
making it appear
that it is the source of illumination.
The small basket
that dangles from the bottom of the balloon
holds several passengers.
Each person looks out upon
an expanding and receding landscape,
and each person feels a sense of awe and wonder,
which is at once joyful and fearful.
The hot air balloon becomes a metaphor
for any experience that for an instant lifts us up
to a clearer vision
and allows each of us to see more fully, broadly, and deeply.
Soon the balloon will touch down,
unless it gets sucked into a super thermal
which thrusts it into endless space
on the way to another
galaxy.
“Hot Air Balloon,” Copyright© 2019 by John D. Call