The purpose begins to be explained, right from the beginning. “December / the planets perfectly rehearsed” (2, 3). This is a metaphor for boys practicing hockey, preparing for the big game. The “earth’s shadow cast against the night sky / like the outline of a hand projected / onto a screen” (4, 5, 6). The mention of a screen refers to watching hockey on television and preparing to perform yourself. Nothing is quite like preparing for something that you’re devoted to. “…showed first 75 words of 511 total…

…showed last 75 words of 511 total…When each player does their part, everything lines up, and just as the poem says “the moon moves clear/ into the night sky” (26, 27). Similarly, there is no logical reason why the women are drawn to the lunar eclipse. They just are. Men have a similar phenomenon. The puck draws them, as the moon similarly draws the woman in the poem. Both are helpless to stop it. This, logical or not, is why men play hockey.