four hundred times

by Isabel del Rio

the symmetry of a total solar eclipse

happens

because, by perfect chance,

the Sun is four hundred times larger than

the Moon,

but also four hundred times

remoter

from the Earth, and this

simple coincidence

makes these two bodies, Sun and

Moon, stellar bodies so meaningful to us (for our lives

rotate around them, in more ways than one)

appear as

having exactly the same size

on the sky,

one covering the other

flawlessly during such an eclipse, and so

my advice is that if

you are going to create a

coincidence, make

it as mind-blowing as this one

* * * * *

"four hundred times" is from Isabel del Rio's poetry collection The Moon at the End of my Street (published by Friends of Alice Publishing, 2016)

Isabel del Rio is a bilingual poet and writer living in London.  She has published fiction and poetry in both English and Spanish, and has worked extensively as a linguist and journalist.  Her writing has also appeared in anthologies and online magazines.  Her most recent published work of fiction is Zero Negative, a collection of short stories on the subject of bloodshed, and her latest poetry book is The moon at the end of my street.  Her forthcoming works are two collections of short stories and a novel.  She regularly takes part in readings and performance poetry events. Website:  www.isabeldelrio.com